The Stage Debut Awards are theatre awards recognising individuals making their professional debuts in performing arts in the UK. The annual ceremony was launched in 2017 by The Stage and include accolades for Best Performer in a Play, Best Writer, Best Designer and the Best West End Debut Performer. Recipients of these awards have gone on to star in West End shows, television series and films.
The awards ceremony is held annually at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London.
In 2020, the Best Actor in a Play and Best Actress in a Play awards were updated to Best Performer in a Play and the Best Actor in a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical awards were updated to Best Performer in a Musical.
Judging process Eligible nominees must be aged 16 or over, and making their professional debut in a named role in a production reviewed by The Stage. For acting roles this should be a first named role. The Stage'''s nationwide network of theatre critics put forward nominees from productions they have reviewed. Performers, writers, directors, designers and composers making their stage debut (and their agents) are also able to nominate themselves online for consideration. The public can also nominate individuals for each category.
Industry professionals from across the UK are then invited to give their input into the longlist. These advisors have included producer Danielle Tarento, casting director David Grindrod, David Jubb, Battersea Arts Centre, designer Es Devlin, Hannah Miller, Royal Shakespeare Company; James Grieve, Paines Plough; Jenny Sealey, Graeae; Jimmy Fay, Lyric Theatre; Laura Donnelly, National Theatre of Scotland; Madani Younis, Bush Theatre; director Michael Grandage; actor Noma Dumezweni, designer Paule Constable; Pravesh Kumar, Rifco; actor Preeya Kalidas; Sam Hodges, Nuffield Southampton Theatres; producer Sonia Friedman; Tom Morris, Bristol Old Vic; and Wendy Spon, National Theatre.
The judging panel decide on the shortlist and winners in all categories, except the Best West End Debut where the shortlist is voted on by the public. The Best West End Debut award recognises those who are making their professional debut in London's West End. This includes individuals who have previously made their debut outside of the West End.
Ceremony In 2017, the inaugural The Stage Debut Awards Ceremony took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, on September 17.
The ceremony was hosted by West End leading man Ben Forster. Category Presenters included director Michael Grandage, actor Sharon D. Clarke, actor Rachel Tucker, Theatre owner Nica Burns, National Theatre director Rufus Norris and actor Kenneth Cranham. Exclusive performances at the ceremony were from Dreamgirls and the National Theatre's Follies''.
In 2018, the ceremony took place on September 23 at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London. The ceremony was hosted by Cush Jumbo and the Category Presenters included director Michael Grandage, actor Ruthie Henshall, singer Preeya Kalidas, actor Jodie Prenger, and lighting designer Paule Constable. Exclusive performances at the ceremony were from Anaïs Mitchell and Miriam-Teak Lee.
In 2019, the ceremony took place at The Brewery, London, on September 15. The ceremony was hosted by Cush Jumbo, and the exclusive performances were by Rachel Tucker and Amara Okereke. Category Presenters included actor Giles Terera, actor Michael Xavier, singer Brenda Edwards, actor Janie Dee, actor Mark Gatiss, and playwright Inua Ellams.
The first digital ceremony was hosted as a free online event in 2020 by Miriam-Teak Lee (winner of Best Actress in a Musical in 2017) on 27 September and featured an exclusive performance from SpitLip (winner of the 2019 Best Composer/Lyricist awards).
In 2021, no ceremony took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
In 2022, the ceremony took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London on Sunday, September 18. The ceremony was hosted by Susan Wokoma, and exclusive performances were by Shan Ako, Samuel Thomas, Frances Mayli McCann and Natalie Paris. Category Presenters included actor Amanda Abbington, director Jamie Lloyd, singer-songwriter and performer Louise Rednapp, singer Jay McGuiness, actor Matt Henry and theatre designer Anna Fleischle.
In 2023, the ceremony took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London on Sunday, October 1. The ceremony was hosted by Divina de Campo, and the exclusive performances were by Emily Benjamin, Zizi Strallen and Rachael Wooding. Category Presenters included actor Callum Scott Howells, singer Faye Tozer, director Rebecca Frecknall, lighting designer Prem Mehta, writer Morgan Lloyd Malcom, actor John Partridge, actor Bertie Carvel and actor Omari Douglas.
In 2024, the ceremony took place on Sunday, September 29 at 8 Northumberland Avenue.
In 2025, the ceremony took place on Sunday, September 28 at 8 Northumberland Avenue.
In 2026, the ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 27 and 8 Northumberland Avenue.
Previous winners
2025 AwardWinnerNomineesBest Performer in a Play Hilson Agbangbe in Wonder Boy at Bristol Old Vic Lucy Karczewski for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre, LondonPaula Clarke for The Tragedy of Richard III at Lyric Theatre, BelfastJoseph Edwards for The Red Shoes at Swan Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-AvonEva Morgan for The Glass Menagerie at Yard Theatre, LondonChristopher Neenan for Blood Wedding at Omnibus Theatre, LondonDaisy Sequerra for Ballet Shoes at National Theatre, LondonJasper Talbot for Redlands at Chichester Festival TheatreBest Performer in a MusicalLeesa Tulley for Why Am I So Single? at Garrick Theatre, LondonMegan Ellis for Muriel’s Wedding the Musical at Curve, LeicesterDora Gee for The Mad Ones at The Other Palace, LondonEve Shanu-Wilson for The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre, LondonBest DirectorRichard Mylan for Mumfighter at Swansea Grand TheatreAditya Chopra for Come Fall in Love at Opera House, ManchesterNathan Crossan-Smith for The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure at Liverpool EverymanAdam Karim for Guards at the Taj at Orange Tree Theatre, LondonEmily Susanne Lloyd for The Mad Ones at The Other Palace, LondonBest DesignerHannah Schmidt for The Passenger / Personal Values at Finborough Theatre / Hampstead Theatre, LondonJuliette Demoulin for various at Finborough Theatre, LondonAdam Jefferys for Communion at Bush Theatre, LondonChloe Wyn for The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure at Liverpool EverymanBest WriterAva Pickett for 1536 at Almeida Theatre, London Milly Sweeney for Water Colour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, St AndrewsSarah Bond for Seagulls and Sad, Sad Stories at Laurels, Whitley BayNathan Englander for What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at Marylebone Theatre, LondonDanny James King for Miss Myrtle’s Garden at Bush Theatre, LondonSaana Sze for Belly of the Beast at Finborough Theatre, LondonNancy Netherwood for Radiant Boy: A Haunting at Southwark Playhouse, LondonBest Composer, Lyricist or Book WriterYve Blake for Fangirls at Lyric Hammersmith, LondonBryn Christopher, James Cooper, Martin Batchelar for Lovestuck at Theatre Royal Stratford East, LondonNicola and Rosie Dempsey for One Man Musical by Flo & Joan at Pleasance Dome, EdinburghBest West End Debut PerformerRachel Zegler for Evita at London PalladiumHeather Agyepong for Shifters at Duke of York’s TheatreSamuel Brewer for Oedipus at Wyndham’s TheatreGeorgie Buckland for The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion TheatreTosin Cole for Shifters at Duke of York’s TheatreEmma Flynn for Clueless the Musical at Trafalgar TheatreDiego Andres Rodriguez for Evita at London PalladiumKat Ronney for Titanique at Criterion TheatreBest Creative West End Debut Mark Rosenblatt for Giant at Harold Pinter TheatreEline Arbo for The Years at Harold Pinter TheatreTye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli for Titanique at Criterion TheatreDarren Clark, Jethro Compton for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors TheatreJustin Craig for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s TheatreBenedict Lombe for Shifters at Duke of York’s TheatreAmit Sharma for Retrograde at Apollo Theatre
2024 AwardWinnerNomineesBest Performer in a Play Ellie-May Sheridan for London Tide at National Theatre, LondonDeborah Ayorinde for Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White at Lyric Hammersmith, LondonImogen Elliott for The Voice of the Turtle at Jermyn Street Theatre, LondonKasper Hilton-Hille for That Face at Orange Tree Theatre, LondonGareth John for Housemates at Sherman Theatre, CardiffLouis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Phoenix Theatre, LondonNadia Parkes for The House Party at Chichester Festival Theatre, ChichesterTaylor Russell for The Effect at National Theatre, LondonBest Performer in a Musical Jeevan Braich for Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, LondonScarlett Ayers for The Verge of Forever at The Other Palace, LondonLaura Dawkes for Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, LondonMyles Frost for MJ the Musical at Prince Edward Theatre, LondonJoshua Ginsberg for Cable Street at Southwark Playhouse Borough, LondonGrace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at Savoy Theatre, LondonBest DirectorSophie Drake for The Bleeding Tree at Southwark Playhouse Borough, LondonEmily Foran for Little Women at Lyric Theatre, BelfastEllie Coote for 42 Balloons by The Lowry, SalfordBest DesignerNathan Amzi and Joe Ransom for Sunset Boulevard at Savoy Theatre, LondonEllie Koslowsky for Vegetables in LondonNadya Sayapina, Anastasiya Ryabova, Lidiia Dresch-Pyshna and Dmytro Guk for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt at Barbican Theatre, LondonSkylar Turnbull Hurd for These Demons at Theatre503, LondonBest WriterAzuka Oforka for The Women of Llanrumney at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears by Soho Theatre, LondonMartha Loader for Bindweed at Mercury Theatre, ColchesterHarry McDonald for Foam at Finborough Theatre, LondonHannah Morley for We Could All Be Perfect at Sheffield Theatres, SheffieldAnastasia Osei-Kuffour for Love Steps at Omnibus Theatre, LondonBest Composer, Lyricist or Book WriterJack Godfrey for 42 Balloons at The Lowry, SalfordAhmed Abdullahi Gallab for The Enormous Crocodile at Leeds Playhouse, LeedsNick Butcher and Tom Ling for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace, LondonElvis Costello for Cold War at Almeida Theatre, LondonBest West End Debut PerformerJack Wolfe for Next to Normal at Wyndham’s Theatre, LondonFrancesca Amewudah-Rivers for Romeo and Juliet at Duke of York’s Theatre, LondonWill Close for Dear England at National Theatre, LondonBilly Crudup for Harry Clarke at Ambassadors Theatre, LondonGrace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at Savoy Theatre, LondonToheeb Jimoh for Player Kings at Noël Coward TheatreEd Larkin for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace, LondonLouis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Phoenix Theatre, LondonBest Creative West End Debut Daniel Bailey for Red Pitch at @sohoplaceJim Barne and Kit Buchan for Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) at Criterion TheatreMarcelo Dos Santos for Backstairs Billy at Duke of York’s TheatreKip Williams for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Theatre Royal HaymarketBrian Yorkey and Tom Kitt for Next to Normal at Wyndham’s Theatre
2023