Evening Standard Theatre Awards live: Nicole Kidman and James McAvoy among the stars of the stage in line for honours

The event, now in its 61st year, celebrates the best that theatre in London has to offer

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at the 2015 Evening Standard Theatre Awards (Getty)

Stars of stage and screen are gathering in London for the Evening Standard’s Theatre Awards with Gillian Anderson, Salma Hayek, Dominic West, Joely Richardson and Ralph Fiennes lined up to help the winners celebrate.

The event, now in its 61st year, celebrates the best of the capital’s theatre and nominees include Nicole Kidman, Denise Gough, Gemma Arterton, Natalie Dew, Simon Russell Beale and James McAvoy.

X-Files star Anderson, who won best actress last year for A Streetcar Named Desire, will present the best actor award.

Four-time winner Russell Beale’s performance in Temple faces competition from Kenneth Cranham for The Father, Fiennes for Man And Superman and McAvoy for The Ruling Class.

All the action from the Evening Standard Theatre Awards as it happens:

Hollywood star Hayek will present the best play award, which sees The Father, written by Florian Zeller and translated by Christopher Hampton, up against Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen and The Motherf**ker With The Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

Jeremy Irons will present the best actress award. The category features rising star Gugu Mbatha-Raw for her portrayal of Nell Gwynn at Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as Oscar-winner Kidman, who played scientist Rosalind Franklin in Photograph 51, Gough for People, Places And Things and Lia Williams for Oresteia.

Other stars taking part in the Old Vic ceremony include Dame Shirley Bassey, Jessica Brown Findlay, Ruth Wilson, designer Christian Louboutin, and Alex Sharp, who won a Tony award for his Broadway performance in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.

He will present the award for most promising playwright and is looking forward to being reunited with Kidman — his co-star in forthcoming film How To Talk To Girls At Parties. He said: “I went to see Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51 and she was fantastic. We’ve been rehearsing scenes from the film backstage at the theatre in her dressing room which is a bit strange.”

West End veteran Elaine Paige will present the Evening Standard Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical, while Imelda Staunton’s turn in Gypsy is highlighted in a new category for best musical performance. She is up against Katie Brayben, star of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Rosalie Craig from City Of Angels and Kinky Boots’ Killian Donnelly. Arterton competes for the newcomer in a musical award, presented by Jeremy Irvine and Gemma Chan, against High Society’s Ellie Bamber and Dew from Bend It Like Beckham.

The awards ceremony, held in partnership with The Ivy restaurant, will be presented by Rob Brydon and co-hosted by Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen. #ESTheatreAwards