Theatre News

The Stage Debut Awards 2019 winners announced

The awards were unveiled in London

Jac Yarrow in Joseph
Jac Yarrow in Joseph
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

The Stage Debut Awards 2019 winners have been revealed at a ceremony in central London.

The nominees feature emerging talent from across the UK, including productions in Colchester, Sheffield, Leicester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Cardiff.

The West End Debut Award, voted for by the audience, was won by newcomer Jac Yarrow, who starred in the leading role in the recent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium.

Winners and finalists in full:

Best Actress in a Play

Liv Hill for Top Girls (National Theatre)
Urielle Klein-Mekongo for Yvette (Bush Theatre)
Lauren O'Leary for The Awkward Years (The Other Room, Cardiff)
Bea Webster for Mother Courage (Albion Electric Warehouse, Leeds)

Best Actor in a Play

Jamal Ajala for Ear for Eye (Royal Court)
Stuart Campbell for The Hunt (Almeida Theatre)
Patrick Gibson for Sweat (Donmar Warehouse and the Gielgud Theatre)
Ivan Oyik for Blue/Orange (Birmingham Repertory Theatre)

Best Actress in a Musical

Georgina Ambrey for My Mother Said I Never Should and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick)
Danielle Fiamanya for The Color Purple (Curve, Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome)
Maiya Quansah-Breed for Six (Arts Theatre)
Jarneia Richard-Noel for Six (Arts Theatre)

Best Actor in a Musical

Adam Hugill for Standing at the Sky's Edge (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)
Ryan Hutton for Only Fools and Horses The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Jac Yarrow for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium)

Best Director

Atri Banerjee for Hobson's Choice (Royal Exchange, Manchester)
Tyrone Huntley for Ain't Misbehaving (Mercury Theatre, Colchester)
Jade Lewis for Superhoe (Royal Court)
Tom Scutt for Berberian Sound Studio (Donmar Warehouse)

Best Designer

Abby Clarke for Beauty and the Beast (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick)
Evie Gurney for Antony and Cleopatra and The Hunt (National Theatre and Almeida Theatre)
Maxwell Nicholson Lailey for Huddle (Unicorn Theatre)

© Savannah Photographic

Best Composer or Lyricist

Oran Eldor and Marcus Stevens for Mythic the Musical (Charing Cross Theatre)
Anaïs Mitchell for Hadestown (National Theatre)
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts for Operation Mincemeat (New Diorama Theatre)
Femi Temowo for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic)

Best Writer

Ross Willis for Wolfie (Theatre503)
Nicole Lecky for Superhoe (Royal Court)
Jasmine Lee-Jones for Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner (Royal Court)
Holly Robinson for Soft Animals (Soho Theatre)

The Joe Allen Best West End Debut

Matthew Broderick for The Starry Messenger (Wyndham's Theatre)
Andrew Burnap for The Inheritance (Noël Coward Theatre)
Nathanael Campbell for Come From Away (Phoenix Theatre)
Saffron Coomber for Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre)
Sarah Gordy for Jellyfish (National Theatre)
Ryan Hutton for Only Fools and Horses The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Samuel H Levine for The Inheritance (Noël Coward Theatre)
Pericles community cast for Pericles (National Theatre)
Christie Prades for On Your Feet! (London Coliseum)
Jac Yarrow for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium)

Leanne Best (Jessie), Martha Plimpton (Tracey), Clare Perkins  (Cynthia) in Sweat
Leanne Best (Jessie), Martha Plimpton (Tracey), Clare Perkins (Cynthia) in Sweat
© Johan Persson

Best Creative West End Debut

Frankie Bradshaw (designer) and Lynette Linton (director) for Sweat (Donmar Warehouse and the Gielgud Theatre)
Arinzé Kene (writer) for Misty (Trafalgar Studios)
Matthew Lopez (writer) for The Inheritance (Noël Coward Theatre)
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (writer) for Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre)
Irene Sankoff and David Hein (writers) for Come From Away (Phoenix Theatre)

Child Performer of the Year

Caelan Edie for The Bodyguard Musical (Theatre Royal, Glasgow and Tour)
Jack Meredith for Caroline or Change (Playhouse Theatre)
Clara Read for The Wild Duck at the (Almeida Theatre)
Taya Tower for The Hunt at the (Almeida Theatre)