History and Significance
The awards were established in 1981, with the first ceremony held in a conference room of the former MEN building on Deansgate. The ceremony is now held at the Crowne Plaza Midland Hotel.
Since 1988, the award ceremony has been broadcast on UK national television and includes songs from the nominated musicals, as well as video clips of, or presentations about, nominated plays. Audience size for the telecast is generally well below that of other awards shows, but the programme reaches an affluent audience. Presenters have included Sally Lindsay, Denise Welch, Jane McDonald, Julian Clary, Jenny Eclair and John Thomson.
The awards have gained in prestige over the last several years, thanks to high profile recipients such as Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who was awarded a special lifetime achievement award in 2000. The MEN award is generally regarded as the theatre's equivalent of the British Academy Film Awards, awarded for excellence in film.
The awards are billed as the 'Oliviers of the North'.
In summer 2011, Manchester Evening News ended its association with the awards and disbanded the panel, blaming the "challenging economic climate". The 2010 awards had already dropped the ceremony to reduce costs, instead announcing the winners in a special supplement to the daily newspaper.
A group of former panel members announced in October 2011 that they were to continue the awards as an independent body under the name Manchester Theatre Awards.
Read more about this topic: Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards
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