The UK's most welcoming theatres have been announced in an award voted on by the public.
There are 12 regional winners for the title of the UK's Most Welcoming Theatre 2017, run as part of the annual UK Theatre Awards for theatre outside of London's West End.
This year, over 172 theatres competed for the title and over 40,000 votes were cast - more than in any previous year.
The overall winner will be announced at the UK Theatre Awards ceremony on Sunday 15 October.
Last year's overall winner was The Mill at Sonning (pictured), which is a finalist again. The full list is as follows:
East Midlands: Nottingham Playhouse
East of England: Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, east London
London: Orange Tree Theatre
North East: Newcastle Theatre Royal
Northern Ireland: Grand Opera House, Belfast
North West: Theatre by the Lake, Keswick
Scotland: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perthshire
South East: The Mill at Sonning, Berkshire
South West: Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
Wales: New Theatre, Cardiff
West Midlands: Lichfield Garrick
Yorkshire and the Humber: Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
Julian Bird, chief executive of UK Theatre, said: "The response to this year's vote has been incredible, showing how valuable theatres are to communities across the UK. It takes a skilled and dedicated team to run a venue. This award gives the public a chance to recognise that, and say thank you."
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MOST WELCOMING THEATRE AWARDS
Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.
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