Ashley Zhangazha wins UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical

Ashley was awarded the prize for his performance as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester with Talawa Theatre Company. The production was choreographed by Kendrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE, artistic director and co-founder of Boy Blue, who co-directed and choreographed Unleashed for the Barbican (2012) and collaborated with staff and students from Guildhall’s Acting and Production Arts departments in Blood Rite (2017).

Ashley recently played Pericles in Pericles at the National Theatre, a production which launched the National Theatre’s Public Acts initiative to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community, and which featured a huge company of all ages from across London. He is currently playing Biff in Death of a Salesman at the Royal Exchange Theatre opposite Don Warrington.

Stephen Barlow (Conducting 1976 and Fellow) was also nominated for achievement in opera for his work as Artistic Director of Buston International Festival and in particular for his revival of Verdi’s Alzira. Stephen announced in April that he would be finishing his 7-year tenure as Artistic Director at the end of the 2018 Festival though he will conduct one of the festival opera productions in 2019, which is the festival’s 40th anniversary.

See the full list of winners and nominees of the UK Theatre Awards 2018.