THE Barn Theatre in Cirencester has made the UK shortlist for the Fringe Theatre of the Year in the Stage Awards 2019.

This category is open to the best small-scale theatres across the UK that don’t receive core government funding and is judged on criteria including (but not limited to) artistic quality, business success, and innovation.

One of the countries youngest venues, the Barn is the only regional theatre to be included in the three nominations, with the other two based in London.

Announcing the nomination, leading theatre publication The Stage said: "Under the artistic directorship of Iwan Lewis, the venue has already established itself as a producing house in an area previously under-served by theatre, programming work designed to appeal to a range of ages."

It added: "In an incredibly short space of time, the Barn has had a significant impact on the cultural life of its hometown of Cirencester and the surrounding area, as well as attracting national interest in the work it is staging."

The modern, state-of-the-art, 200-seater theatre has attracted a string of five-star reviews for its eclectic mix of shows.

This is the second time in their first year that the theatre has been recognised by the The Stage. Artistic Director, Iwan Lewis, was nominated earlier in the year for the prestigious Stage Debut Awards for directing debut of their acclaimed production of One Minute.

Iwan said: “It’s a huge honour to be nominated for this prestigious award.

"The Barn is coming to the end of its first calendar year of performances and this truly makes all the hard work in building and developing this wonderful theatre worthwhile.

"A big thank you has to go to the audiences that continue to believe in the vision and ambition of the Barn, the teams behind all our productions and the Barn Theatre family who work tirelessly to bring the gifts of theatre to our community.”

The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Bridge Theatre in London on January 25 2019.

Visit barntheatre.org.uk