The categories of Best Ensemble and Best Movement Direction have been introduced for the next awards ceremony.

A third category has been modified, with Best Sound Design changing to Best Soundscape, recognising the wider variety of music and sound design elements that appear in modern Irish theatrical productions.

“The new categories for The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards are very exciting developments for us to work with,” said Ella Daly, one of three judges for this year’s awards.

“We have enjoyed the challenge of considering work with these new parameters. The introduction of Movement Direction has allowed us to consider and acknowledge for the first time the significant contribution ofmovement directors, stage directors and choreographers to the landscape of theatre.

“Over the last number of years the judges have lobbied for the introduction of an ensemble award and we are delighted to introduce it for 2017.

"This award will recognise work where the cast have been integral in the development of the piece and/or where the world of the play is achieved through the dedication and rigour of an entire cast in creating a shared language or landscape for the audience.”

“The judges are once again equal parts energised and humbled by the quality and quantity of work produced by Irish theatre in 2017,” said Daly.

“Over the last 12 months we have seen the sector across the entire island of Ireland, proving itself to be vibrant, thriving and ambitious.”

This year saw TileStyle come on board as the new associate partner for The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards for the next three years.

"We look forward to celebrating our first year as an associated partner of the Irish Times Theatre Awards next February.” said Gerard McNaughton, the Retail Director of TileStyle.

“We welcome the inclusion of the newly announced ‘Best Movement Direction’ category. As we collaborate with the Irish Times over the next three years and build on our support of the arts, we hope to further engage with theatre practitioners and artists who continue to push boundaries, reinvent and develop their crafts.

"This constant reinvigorationreflects our own approach to design and innovation at TileStyle.”

The judges will meet in December to make their final selections and shortlists for this year’s awards. In addition to Ella Daly, the other two judges for this year’s competition are Catríona Crowe and Paula Shields.

The shortlists across the full 17 categories will be printed on January 13th, 2018 in Ticket, in the Saturday edition of The Irish Times.

For the first time, the ceremony on February 25th will also be live streamed by RTÉ on its RTE Culture site www.rte.ie/culture and supported on air by RTE Lyric FM.

Tickets for The Irish Times Theatre Awards are now on sale through nch.ie