The first Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland live ceremony since 2019 took place at Glasgow's Tron Theatre on 11 September 2022, and it included a special CATS-Whiskers, an occasional award in recognition of an outstanding contribution to theatre in Scotland, to the resilience of Scottish theatre during COVID.
The awards were presented by actor, singer and Gaelic activist, Dolina MacLennan, who was one of the original cast of John McGrath’s The Cheviot, The Stag and Black, Black Oil.
Contemporary reworking of classics were popular winners, with Kathy McKean's version of Euripides' Medea for Bard in the Botanics and Jo Clifford's adaptation of Calderón's Life is a Dream for Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh taking half of the awards between them. Medea took the Best Production Award with Nicole Cooper taking her second Best Female Performance Award for the title role, while Wils Wilson won her first Best Director Award for the Lyceum production, which also took Best Male Performance for Lorn Macdonald and Best Design for Georgia McGuinness and Alex Berry (set and costumes) and Kai Fischer (lighting).
Lyceum Artistic Director David Greig won his third Best New Play award for Adventures with the Painted People for Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Citizens' Theatre were pronounced Best Ensemble for The Comedy of Errors, and Perth Theatre and Imaginate's I am Tiger was Best Production for Children and Young People.
The CATS judging panel for the 2022 Awards comprised Mark Brown (Sunday National and The Daily Telegraph), Anna Burnside (Daily Record / Sunday Mail), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (The Stage and AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), David Pollock (The Independent and Dundee Courier) and Allan Radcliffe (The Times).
Winners of the 2022 CATS
Best Production: Medea (Bard in the Botanics)
Best Female Performance: Nicole Cooper as Medea, in Medea (Bard in the Botanics)
Best Male Performance: Lorn Macdonald as Segismundo in Life is a Dream (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh)
Best Director: Wils Wilson, Life is a Dream (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh)
Best Ensemble: The Comedy of Errors (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow)
Best Use of Music and Sound: Stamping Ground (Raw Material and Eden Court)
Best Design: Georgia McGuinness and Alex Berry (set and costumes) and Kai Fischer (lighting), Life is a Dream (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh)
Best Technical Presentation: Orphans (National Theatre of Scotland)
Best Production for Children and Young People: I Am Tiger (Perth Theatre and Imaginate)
Best New Play: Adventures with the Painted People, by David Greig (Pitlochry Festival Theatre)