By Joy Watters, arts reporter

THERE WAS much jubilation for Dundee Rep yesterday as it picked up five of the 10 critics’ awards, including Best Production.

The country’s theatrical community gathered at the Tolbooth, Stirling for the first Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland, a celebration of the quality and diversity of theatre in Scotland..

The Rep’s production of Howard Barker’s Scenes From An Execution took three of the awards, a crowning achievement for the end of the first year’s tenure of artistic directors James Brining and Dominic Hill.

Scenes took the best male performance for John Bett, best director for Dominic Hill and best production award. The Rep also went on to pick up two awards for its production of Twelfth Night—best music, Paddy Cuneen, and best design, Tom Piper.

A clearly delighted Dominic Hill, said it was “fantastic,” and, congratulated on the theatre’s five awards, added, “It’s a bit greedy, isn’t it?”

He said it was great not only for the theatre but for the city of Dundee itself.

Mr Hill said, “It’s great that there is good work going on in Dundee as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow. It has all been about quality.

He acknowledged the contribution made by all at the theatre and by his and James Brining’s predecessor, Hamish Glen, saying it was all about working with the best people.

“It has been a great year for us. We have been producing the kind of work that I wanted. We want the Rep to be known for work which is bold and challenging and to a standard which is international.”

The Rep is the only theatre in Scotland to have a full-time ensemble company and this was all-important.

He said, “Having an ensemble at the core of it allows us to rehearse longer than any company in Scotland. The atmosphere is creative, relaxed and risk-taking. You trust actors and they trust you.”

Commenting on the effect of winning the awards for the city, he said, “It’s fantastic for Dundee. That’s who we put on the work for, first and foremost. What most delighted me about Scenes From An Execution was the reaction of our theatre club, our very loyal supporters.

“Everyone had stressed the difficulty of putting on a such a work, but the club members came along, knowing nothing about it. And they thought it was great and that was the greatest accolade for us.

“Scenes did everything we wanted it to do. If you do good quality work then you hope audiences will follow.”

Guest presenters at the awards were Eileen McCallum and Richard Demarco, who spoke of their pleasure at taking part in this coming together of the theatrical community, from as far north as the Eden Court, Inverness, and best actor John Bett, who had flown in from his home in Brighton.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre had been nominated for Double Indemnity and their contingent joined the over 100-strong band.

The other awards were as follows, with the comments of the reviewers:

Best female performance—Cait Davis for her “fully rounded portrait of a troubled mind” in Grid Iron Theatre Company’s Those Eyes That Mouth.

Best new play—Henry Adam’s The People Next Door at the Traverse, Edinburgh, as “a scabrously funny, high-octane black farce.”

Best ensemble—the cast of Six Black Candles at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, described as “eight of our finest actresses—and two not bad blokes.”

Best technical presentation—Citizens for Smoking With Lulu, as “an outrageously stylish production.”

Childrens Theatre—Wee Stories emerged successful with Arthur, the Story of a King winning this new award.

The ceremony was supported by Stirling Council.

The awards panel comprises regular theatre reviewers in Scotland, including The Courier’s Joy Watters.