23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: Everything you need to know
Somethin's comin', somethin' good... and you better be prepared!
© Stephen Wright
When and where?
OK, theatre fans. It's time to start getting excited because the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards are almost upon us. The concert ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 12 February at 7pm. It will be returning to the Prince of Wales Theatre in the heart of London's West End (and usually home to The Book of Mormon).
How can I follow on the day?
As per usual, there will be a number of ways to follow the awards on the big night...
Grab a ticket and be there in person!
You can snap up the last remaining tickets for the event itself here and actually be in the room where it happens – watching with your own eyeballs as the lucky winners are crowned and the extra-special performances take place.
[UPDATE: The 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards ceremony is now officially sold out]
Facebook Pre-Show
West End favourites Mazz Murray (Mamma Mia!) and Oscar Conlon-Murray (Mother Goose) are set to host an exclusive Facebook Live pre-show from the red carpet at the Prince of Wales Theatre starting at 6:30pm and ending at 7pm, chatting to all the immaculately dressed nominees and VIP guests.
As in previous years, we're going to be live tweeting the event as it happens, with running commentary also embedded on the site. This will be the perfect place to instantly find out who's taking home the top prizes. Follow @WhatsOnStage for all the live updates and don't forget to use the hashtag #WOSAwards to join in with the conversation and to see some fun glimpses behind-the-scenes.
Our Instagram feed will be filled to the brim with boomerangs, videos, photos and much more. Follow our Instagram story on the day and check out all our posts using the #WOSAwards hashtag for glitz and glamour.
Who's hosting the awards?
© Left: Danny Kaan
We have three fresh, stagey faces to host the concert ceremony this year and one of them is a nominee herself. Enter: Courtney Bowman (Legally Blonde), Laurie Kynaston (Spring Awakening) and Billy Luke Nevers (& Juliet). You can find out what Bowman and Kynaston had to say about serving as Emcees for the highlight of our theatrical calendar in the video below.
Who's performing at the concert?
We'll have a talented bunch of performers on hand at the Prince of Wales Theatre to represent many of the shows nominated in the categories of Best New Musical and Best Musical Revival.
Expect performances from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Curve's Billy Elliot, The Great British Bake Off Musical, My Fair Lady and Bonnie and Clyde, alongside a special original opening number, penned by Alex Parker and Katie Lam and choreographed by Six's Carrie-Ann Ingrouille.
And if that wasn't enough, there will also be some top secret exclusives and "first listens"!
Who's nominated this year?
© Marc Brenner, RSC (photographer Manuel Harlan) and Marc Brenner
The nominees were revealed in a stream from @sohoplace (the West End's newest venue) by As You Like It co-stars Leah Harvey and Alfred Enoch.
The RSC's production of My Neighbour Totoro leads the pack with a total of nine nominations, closely followed by Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! at the Young Vic with eight nods - the most for any musical.
This year we also introduced gender-neutral performance categories, so you'll see the likes of David Tennant (Good), Jonathan Bailey (Cock) and Rafe Spall (To Kill a Mockingbird) up against Carrie Hope Fletcher (The Caucasian Chalk Circle), Mei Mac (My Neighbour Totoro) and Jodie Comer (Prima Facie) for Best Performer in a Play, as well as host Courtney Bowman (Legally Blonde), Katie Brayben (Tammy Faye), Divina De Campo (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Charlie Stemp (Crazy for You) and co-stars Jordan Luke Gage and Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie & Clyde) all going head-to-head in the Best Performer in a Musical category.
We've also introduced two brand-new categories this year: Best Professional Debut Performance and Best Concert Event. And we've welcomed back an old favourite with Best Takeover Performance.
Read the full list of nominees here.
How should I prepare?
Follow us on all our social channels! Put on your Sunday clothes (as Dolly Levi would say)! Whether you are with us in person or following online, prepare for a night of fanfare, frolics and fun with a wealth of surprises and special performances, as well as winners voted for by yourselves, our loyal WhatsOnStage readers. If you're at home, make sure you're logged in from 6:30pm on Facebook to catch all the action from the red carpet. And if you have a ticket, we'll see you there on the big night!