The Critics Circle

The Critics' Circle was established in 1913 as an offshoot of the Society of Dramatic Critics, that was formed in 1906 this organization became inactive. It is the national Professional body of British critics for dance, drama, film, music, visual arts and architecture.The association is equivalent of the American Theatre Critics Association although much older.

For many years the Circle refrained from granting awards, but in 1980 the critics from the Film section (a.k.a. the London Film Critics Circle) established the ALFS Awards to acknowledge special achievements in the cinema. In 1989 the Drama section organized the first of its Critics' Circle Theatre Awards ceremonies, but it was not until 2002 that Dance awards were presented, followed from 2011 with annual awards by the Music and the Visual Arts and Architecture sections.

In addition to these specific annual awards, since 1988 the Circle has presented the Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts, voted for by all members of the Circle. The award takes the form of an engraved crystal rose bowl presented at a celebratory luncheon which, in recent years, has been held at the Royal National Theatre.

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