Sadie Sink, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes among The Stage Debut Awards 2026 nominees

Breakthrough talent from across British theatre has been recognised in the 2026 shortlist for The Stage Debut Awards, announced this morning. Eight categories cover performance, writing, directing, design, composition, lyrics and book writing, drawing on productions staged in the West End, at regional theatres, on tour and on the fringe.

Among the best-known names are Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe, both shortlisted for their West End debuts in Romeo and Juliet at the Harold Pinter Theatre, and Brendan Gleeson, nominated for his West End debut in The Weir at the same address. Ralph Fiennes appears as a director rather than a performer, recognised for his directorial debut on As You Like It at Theatre Royal Bath.

Several productions feature more than once. Romeo and Juliet earns Noah Jupe places in both Best Performer in a Play and Best West End Debut Performer, while The Weir puts both Brendan Gleeson and Kate Phillips on the West End debut list. Paddington the Musical is recognised through performer Arti Shah and composer-lyricist Tom Fletcher, and Sing Street features across both performance and composition. Redcliffe, 1536 and The Fifth Step also appear more than once.

The organisers note that this year's nominees range in age from 21 to 71, with some beginning stage careers in their twenties and others arriving in theatre after working elsewhere in the arts. Nominated work comes from venues as far apart as Cardiff, Mold, Bath, Doncaster and Colchester as well as London. Past winners include Rob Madge, Jack Wolfe, Rachel Zegler, Sam Tutty and Grace Hodgett Young.

One category is decided by the public: voting for Best West End Debut Performer opens today, Thursday 20 August, and closes on Sunday 13 September. The winners are announced at the ninth annual ceremony on Sunday 27 September at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London, with the host, presenters and performers still to be confirmed.

'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,' said Sam Marlowe, chair of the judges and reviews editor of The Stage.

Best Performer in a Play

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

Best Performer in a Musical

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

Best Writer

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

Best Director

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

Best Designer

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

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer

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

Best Creative West End Debut

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

Best West End Debut Performer

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