The Stage Debut Awards announces 2025 nominees

The Stage Debut Awards, in association with Netflix, has announced the nominees for its 2025 ceremony, which will take place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, on 28 September.

The publicly voted Best West End Debut Performer category includes Rachel Zegler and Diego Andres Rodriguez for Jamie Lloyd’s Evita, Tosin Cole and Heather Agyepong for Shifters, Georgie Buckland for The Devil Wears Prada, Emma Flynn for Clueless the Musical, Kat Ronney for Titanique and Samuel Brewer for Oedipus. Voting opens on 21 August and closes on 14 September.

The Best Performer in a Musical category features Megan Ellis for Muriel’s Wedding the Musical at Curve Leicester, Dora Gee for The Mad Ones at the Other Palace, Eve Shanu-Wilson for The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre, and Leesa Tulley for Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre.

Among the Best Performer in a Play nominees are Hilson Agbangbe for Wonder Boy at Bristol Old Vic, Paula Clarke for The Tragedy of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, Lucy Karczewski for Stereophonic at the Duke of York’s Theatre, Daisy Sequerra for Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre, Eva Morgan for The Glass Menagerie at the Yard, Christopher Neenan for Blood Wedding at Omnibus Theatre, Joseph Edwards for The Red Shoes at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Jasper Talbot for Redlands at Chichester Festival Theatre.

The Best Writer shortlist includes Sarah Bond, Nathan Englander, Danny James King, Nancy Netherwood, Ava Pickett, Milly Sweeney and Saana Sze. In the Best Director category, nominees are Aditya Chopra, Nathan Crossan-Smith, Adam Karim, Emily Susanne Lloyd and Richard Mylan.

Design nominees are Juliette Demoulin, Adam Jefferys, Hannah Schmidt and Chloe Wyn. The Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer category recognises Martin Batchelar, James Cooper and Bryn Christopher for Lovestuck, Yve Blake for Fangirls, and Nicola and Rosie Dempsey (otherwise known as Flo and Joan) for One Man Musical.

The Best Creative West End Debut award includes Eline Arbo for The Years, Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli for Titanique, Darren Clark and Jethro Compton for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Justin Craig for Stereophonic, Benedict Lombe for Shifters, Mark Rosenblatt for Giant, and Amit Sharma for Retrograde.

Julian Clary will host the ceremony. Speaking about this year’s nominations, The Stage editor Alistair Smith said: “Judging The Stage Debut Awards was as thrilling as it was challenging. The sheer breadth and brilliance of emerging talent across the UK made narrowing down our longlist of more than 200 eligible theatremakers no easy task. For the first time, our shortlists include nominees from productions staged in all four nations of the UK — a real testament to the geographical spread and vibrancy of theatremaking today.”

The winners will be announced at the eighth annual awards ceremony on 28 September.

The nominees in full:

Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Encore):

● Hilson Agbangbe for Wonder Boy at Bristol Old Vic

● Paula Clarke for The Tragedy of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast

● Joseph Edwards for The Red Shoes at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

● Lucy Karczewski for Stereophonic at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London

● Eva Morgan for The Glass Menagerie at the Yard Theatre, London

● Christopher Neenan for Blood Wedding at Omnibus Theatre, London

● Daisy Sequerra for Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre, London

● Jasper Talbot for Redlands at Chichester Festival Theatre

Best Performer in a Musical (sponsored by Michael Harrison Entertainment):

● Megan Ellis for Muriel’s Wedding the Musical at Curve, Leicester

● Dora Gee for The Mad Ones at the Other Palace, London

● Eve Shanu-Wilson for The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre, London

● Leesa Tulley for Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre, London

Best Writer (sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions):

● Sarah Bond for Seagulls and Sad, Sad Stories at Laurels, Whitley Bay

● Nathan Englander for What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at Marylebone Theatre, London

● Danny James King for Miss Myrtle’s Garden at Bush Theatre, London

● Nancy Netherwood for Radiant Boy: A Haunting at Southwark Playhouse, London

● Ava Pickett for 1536 at the Almeida Theatre, London

● Milly Sweeney for Water Colour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, St Andrews

● Saana Sze for Belly of the Beast at Finborough Theatre, London

Best Director (sponsored by Arts Council England):

● Aditya Chopra for Come Fall In Love at Opera House, Manchester

● Nathan Crossan-Smith for The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure at Liverpool Everyman

● Adam Karim for Guards at the Taj at Orange Tree Theatre, London

● Emily Susanne Lloyd for The Mad Ones at the Other Palace, London

● Richard Mylan for Mumfighter at Swansea Grand Theatre

Best Designer (sponsored by Preevue):

● Juliette Demoulin (set), various at Finborough Theatre, London

● Adam Jefferys (lighting) for Communion at Bush Theatre, London

● Hannah Schmidt (set and costume) for The Passenger/Personal Values at Finborough Theatre/Hampstead Theatre, London

● Chloe Wyn (set and costume) for The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure, at Liverpool Everyman

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (sponsored by Theatricals Rights Worldwide):

● Martin Batchelar, James Cooper, Bryn Christopher for Lovestuck, at Theatre Royal Stratford East, London

● Yve Blake for Fangirls at Lyric Hammersmith, London

● Nicola Dempsey and Rosie Dempsey for One Man Musical by Flo and Joan at Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh

Best West End Debut Performer (Sponsored by Noël Coward Foundation):

● Heather Agyepong for Shifters at the Duke of York’s Theatre

● Samuel Brewer for Oedipus at Wyndham’s Theatre

● Georgie Buckland for The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre

● Tosin Cole for Shifters at the Duke of York’s Theatre

● Emma Flynn for Clueless the Musical at Trafalgar Theatre

● Diego Andres Rodriguez for Evita at London Palladium

● Kat Ronney for Titanique at Criterion Theatre

● Rachel Zegler for Evita at London Palladium

Best Creative West End Debut (sponsored by Learn My Lines Productions):

● Eline Arbo (adapter/director) for The Years at Harold Pinter Theatre

● Tye Blue (writer/director), Marla Mindelle (writer) and Constantine Rousouli (writer) for Titanique at Criterion Theatre

● Darren Clark (music and lyrics) and Jethro Compton (book and lyrics) for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre

● Justin Craig (musical director and orchestrator) for Stereophonic at the Duke of York’s Theatre

● Benedict Lombe (playwright) for Shifters at the Duke of York’s Theatre

● Mark Rosenblatt (playwright) for Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre

● Amit Sharma (director) for Retrograde at Apollo Theatre