Nominees for The Stage Debut Awards announced

The shortlist for the 2026 Stage Debut Awards, in association with Netflix, has been revealed, recognising performers and creatives making professional and West End debuts across UK theatre.

The annual awards celebrate emerging talent across performance and creative disciplines, with nominees recognised for work in the West End, on tour and at venues across the UK.

The public can vote for the Best West End Debut Performer award from today until 13 September. The category includes Levi Brown, Brendan Gleeson, Liv Hill, Noah Jupe, Cormac McAlinden, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Alistair Nwachukwu, Kate Phillips, Arti Shah and Sadie Sink.

Chair of the judges Sam Marlowe, chief critic of The Stage, said: “It’s never an easy task, narrowing down the wealth of theatrical talent across the UK into a shortlist – but it is an immense pleasure and a privilege. This year’s nominees have made work of stunning breadth and ingenuity – and, as ever, we recognise and salute those flexing their talents in our smallest spaces, on shoestring budgets, as well as those creating on a much larger scale.

“From the tiniest fringe venues to the West End stage, they all have one thing in common: a palpable passion for the art form, and limitless vision, both of which continue to make our theatre culture vibrant, challenging, thrilling and beautiful. These are artists taking their first steps with their gaze firmly fixed on the future – and the Debuts celebrates not only their achievements so far, but all those still to come.”

The winners will be announced at the ninth annual Stage Debut Awards ceremony, in association with Netflix, on 27 September at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London.

The nominees in full are:

Best Performer in a Play

• Robert Aramayo – Guess How Much I Love You? (Royal Court Theatre, London)
• Zoë Armer – The Virgins (Soho Theatre, London)
• Noah Jupe – Romeo and Juliet (Harold Pinter Theatre, London)
• Assa Kanouté – Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe, London)
• Erin Kellyman – Evening All Afternoon (Donmar Warehouse, London)
• Dylan Malyn – To Kill a Mockingbird (Leeds Playhouse and UK tour)
• Ruaridh Mollica – Clarkston (Trafalgar Theatre, London)
• Amber van der Brugge – Vincent in Brixton (Orange Tree Theatre, London)

Best Performer in a Musical

• Jess Douglas-Welsh – Redcliffe (Southwark Playhouse Borough, London)
• Jess Folley – Burlesque (Savoy Theatre, London)
• Lydia Louise – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Watermill Theatre, Newbury)
• Julianne Pundan – Miss Saigon (Palace Theatre, Manchester and UK tour)
• James Spence – Thespians (Mercury Theatre, Colchester and UK tour)
• Sheridan Townsley – Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith, London)

Best Writer

• Chris Ashworth-Bennion – The Red Rogue of Bala (Theatr Clwyd, Mold)
• Georgie Dettmer – Are You Watching? (Royal Court Theatre, London)
• Hannah Doran – The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights (Park Theatre, London)
• Leo Drayton – Dynolwaith (Sherman Theatre, Cardiff)
• Fran Kranz – Mass (Donmar Warehouse, London)
• John Morton – Eclipse (Chichester Festival Theatre)
• Jack Nicholls – The Shitheads (Royal Court Theatre, London)
• Danielle Phillips – Children of the Night (Cast, Doncaster)

Best Director

• Douglas Clarke-Wood – THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. (Summerhall, Edinburgh)
• Ralph Fiennes – As You Like It (Theatre Royal Bath)
• Tommaso Giacomin – The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin (New Diorama Theatre, London)
• Michelle McTernan – Hop – The Hopeful Hare (Swansea Grand Theatre)

Best Designer

• Lev Govorovski and Ted Walliker (set and lighting design) – RON (Riverside Studios, London)
• Alex Mullins (costume design) – Teeth ‘n’ Smiles (Duke of York’s Theatre, London)
• Natalie Roar (costume design) – Les Liaisons Dangereuses (National Theatre, London)

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer

• John Carney and Gary Clark (music and lyrics) – Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith, London)
• Jordan Luke Gage (book, music and lyrics) – Redcliffe (Southwark Playhouse Borough, London)
• Guido García Lueches and Sergio Antonio Maggiolo (book, music and lyrics) – Jeezus! (Underbelly Cowgate, Edinburgh and New Diorama Theatre, London)
• Ed Zanders (music and lyrics) – Thespians (Mercury Theatre, Colchester and UK tour)

Best Creative West End Debut

• Finn den Hertog (director) – The Fifth Step (@sohoplace)
• Tom Fletcher (composer and lyricist) – Paddington the Musical (Savoy Theatre)
• Rachel Joyce (book) and Passenger (composer and lyricist) – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
• Ava Pickett (writer) – 1536 (Ambassadors Theatre)

Best West End Debut Performer

• Levi Brown – Cyrano de Bergerac (Noël Coward Theatre)
• Brendan Gleeson – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Liv Hill – 1536 (Ambassadors Theatre)
• Noah Jupe – Romeo and Juliet (Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Cormac McAlinden – Inter Alia (Wyndham’s Theatre)
• Ntombizodwa Ndlovu – Marie and Rosetta (@sohoplace)
• Alistair Nwachukwu – The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (@sohoplace)
• Kate Phillips – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Arti Shah – Paddington the Musical (Savoy Theatre)
• Sadie Sink – Romeo and Juliet (Harold Pinter Theatre)