The 2013 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, in the organisation's centenary year, will mark the event's 25th anniversary when it takes place on 28 January 2014 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
The ceremony will be introduced by comedian Arthur Smith and hosted by drama section chairman Mark Shenton, who said, "The British theatre has gone through a profound change in the last quarter of a century, just as the critics who have covered it are even now going through a huge one, too, in the ways in which they are employed and where their work appears.
"But the one thing that hasn't changed, by either the writers or those they are writing about, is the quality of the work that's under scrutiny. In a world in which everyone's now a critic as long as they have a Twitter or Facebook account to express their opinions through, or can vote in public awards at the click of a mouse, professional critics are more important than ever to set the benchmarks of excellence and a context for it to be judged within.
"So as the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards mark their 25th anniversary, there's no better time to reflect on how these, the only independently judged awards that are entirely free of outside influences, offer a unique barometer of the changing power structures and achievements of the British theatre.
"And, against all the odds, there's simply more theatre being produced than ever before, which means critics play an important role as guides and challengers to audiences for what to see. These awards confirm just how vital and alive the theatre is. Here's to the next 25 years."
Entertainment accountants Nyman Libson Paul will be the main sponsor of the event for the tenth year, and the awards are supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres.