The Stage Debut Awards announces 2025 winners

The Stage Debut Awards, in association with Netflix, has announced the winners for its 2025 ceremony, which took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London.

The publicly voted Best West End Debut Performer category was won by Rachel Zegler, for her performance in Evita.

The Best Performer in a Musical category was won by Leesa Tulley for Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre.

Julian Clary hosted the ceremony.

The winners and nominees in full:

Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Encore):

● Winner: 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

● Winner: 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

● Winner: 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

● Winner: Ava Pickett for 1536 at the Almeida Theatre, London

● Winner: 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

● Winner: 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

● Winner: 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

● Winner: 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

● Winner: Rachel Zegler for Evita at The 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

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

● Amit Sharma (director) for Retrograde at Apollo Theatre