The Stage Awards 2025 winners announced

The Stage has announced the winners of The Stage Awards, in association with Tysers Live, the industry’s most prestigious event celebrating theatre across the whole of the UK. The ceremony was held at The Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre, London on the January 20, 2025.

The eight categories at the 15^th annual awards include Theatre of the Year, Theatre Building of the Year, Producer of the Year, Innovation Award, Community Award, International Award, Unsung Hero and Campaign of the Year – a brand-new award introduced to honour excellence behind the scenes in the fields of theatre marketing and PR. A special Judges’ Award was also presented on the night, while playwright James Graham, who was placed at number one in The Stage 100 list, was also presented with an award.

Nottingham Playhouse and London’s Orange Tree Theatre jointly scooped the evening’s much-anticipated Theatre of the Year award sponsored by Harlequin Floors, following in the footsteps of last year’s dual winners the National Theatre and the Watermill Theatre. This category is open to theatres of all sizes anywhere in the UK. The judges commended both winners for their strong artistic leadership, bringing their programming A-game to 2024 with a crowd-pleasing mix of revivals and striking new plays resulting in soaring box office sales. Both theatres operated thriving off-stage programmes, workshops and activities that not only provided support networks for local artists but also enriched the lives of individuals within their local communities. Both were standouts and deservedly award-winning of this hotly contested prize.

Theatre Building of the Year sponsored by TAIT, celebrating the UK’s newest or newly redeveloped venues within the last 12 months, was won by pint-sized The Well Walk Theatre, a 50-seat independent venue dedicated to family productions in London’s Hampstead. Described by judges as ‘small but perfectly formed’, owners Zina Drouche and Dylan McNeil created a programme of high-quality in-house productions ‘inhabiting the space where childhood meets adulthood, engaging minds of all ages’. At a time when many new arts ventures struggle to get off the ground, this one brilliantly identified and fulfilled a unique need where none had perceived it. A standout success story.

Shifting from a diminutive winner to one who stands at the opposite end of the scale and can be described as a theatre behemoth, the Producer of the Year award sponsored by 3 Mills Studios was won by Michael Harrison Entertainment. The man behind this eponymous organisation was credited by the judges as ‘one of the leading commercial producers of his generation’ bringing Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express, Hello, Dolly! and Titanique to the West End as well as providing the financial muscle for the War Horse and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tours. Via his company Crossroads Pantomimes, Michael Harrison continues to be the leading player in the panto field with 23 UK-wide productions last Christmas as well and proved a deserved winner of this year’s producers’ crown.

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The Community Award sponsored by Moore Kingston Smith was also one of this year’s most hotly contested categories with six nominees in the running. Synergy Theatre Project took home the award for its theatre-based training for prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of offending. 2024 was one of the organisation’s most productive years. Highlights included delivering 11 theatre courses in prison, an OFFIE award-winning production, running seven ex-prisoner projects at Soho Theatre, the Bush Theatre and Brixton House and supporting 29 prisoner and ex-prisoner writers. Where Synergy also excels is with its work with pupil referral units and young offending teams.

This year’s Innovation Award sponsored by Charcoalblue was given to Orchard West in recognition of the remarkable achievements made by Dartford Borough Council and Trafalgar Entertainment. Faced with the sudden temporary closure of the Orchard Theatre, a potential disaster was turned into a triumph. A new space in the shape of a modular marquee, erected and fully operational in less than three months, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, unexpectedly served as a beacon of excellence and proved to be a positive catalyst for local cultural and community development.

Nowhere is the impact of positivity and hope more strongly evident than in this year’s International Award winner Projekt Europa, sponsored by Concord Theatricals. Last year the organisation worked with over 750 artists and creatives – migrants, asylum seekers and refugees – who made the UK their home. Against an alarming backdrop of anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobia, the company’s work – through mentorship schemes, workshops and performances – provided a positive reminder that the voices of migrant artists can straddle borders and cultures, enriching all lives for the better.

The tireless work of countless individuals on and off stage in a variety of roles whose commitment goes above and beyond the call of duty is brought into sharp focus every year with the Unsung Hero award, sponsored by Encore. This year’s winner is no exception: maintenance manager Mike Elliott is the longest-serving permanent staff member of Bristol Old Vic and has kept the historic 258-year-old building lit, heated, plumbed, safe and welcoming for nearly four decades. Nominated by his colleagues, he is described as ‘indispensable’ with the ability to step into any role that needs filling be it stage crew, carpenter, or driver — Mike has done it all with ingenuity, skill and unwavering commitment.

From spotlighting individual excellence to awarding a team effort. The winners of The Stage Awards’ newest category Campaign of the Year, sponsored by Cabbells, was won by Park Theatre and co-producer Adam Blanshay Productions. This was in recognition of the sell-out run at the Park Theatre in January 2024 of the European premiere of Korean comedy drama Kim’s Convenience. The considered campaign, led by the theatre’s in-house marketing team, was described by the judges as a ‘standout example of reaching new and underserved audiences’. It delivered ‘bang for buck’, ‘a very satisfying return on investment’ and resulted in 98.8% capacity of which a staggering 53% were first-time attenders to the theatre. Deserved winners for this inaugural prize where strategy counts.

The final award of the night was the Judges’ with the prestigious accolade given this year to Michael Patrick for his role helping to create and starring in The Tragedy of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2023, the actor worked with director Oisin Kearney to adapt Shakespeare’s play to reframe the title character as someone who, like himself, had developed a disability as part of a terminal illness. By the time the production made it to the stage, Michael was himself in a wheelchair. He delivered a landmark performance in a production that centred disability and disabled performers. The judges said: “Acting performances are regularly described as brave, but there can be very few performers who have displayed the fortitude on stage that Michael did in this production. It was truly astonishing.”

Summing up this year’s remarkable award winners, The Stage editor Alistair Smith, said: “We are thrilled to announce the winners of The Stage Awards 2025, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of theatres and theatremakers from every corner of the UK. What sets these awards apart is their inclusivity — honouring excellence across all scales, from grassroots venues to large-scale commercial productions. This year’s winners exemplify the resilience, creativity and innovation that define our industry, and we’re proud to shine a spotlight on their remarkable contributions to theatre.”

The audience of nominees, representing all four nations in the UK, distinguished guests and industry leaders from every facet of the performing arts industry, came together to recognise the outstanding professional achievements in theatre of the past 12 months, hosted by My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) star Rob Madge and London Tide’s award-winner Ellie-May Sheridan. The ceremony also featured performances by Starlight Express and The Stage Debut Award 2024 winner Jeevan Braich and by host Rob Madge.