The Stage Debut Awards, in association with Netflix, has announced its 2026 shortlist, recognising performers and creatives making standout debuts across British theatre.
Among this year’s nominees are Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and actor Noah Jupe for their West End debuts in Romeo and Juliet, Oscar-nominated Brendan Gleeson for The Weir, and BAFTA and Tony Award winner Ralph Fiennes, who is recognised for his directorial debut with As You Like It at Theatre Royal Bath.
The shortlist spans eight categories and highlights talent working in the West End, regional theatres, touring productions and fringe venues across the UK.
Several productions have secured multiple nominations. Romeo and Juliet earns nominations for Noah Jupe in both Best Performer in a Play and Best West End Debut Performer, while The Weir sees Brendan Gleeson and Kate Phillips recognised for their West End debuts.
New musical Paddington the Musical receives nominations for Arti Shah and Tom Fletcher, while Sing Street features across both performance and composition categories. Elsewhere, Redcliffe, 1536 and The Fifth Step are represented across the shortlist.
The public-voted Best West End Debut Performer category includes Brendan Gleeson, Sadie Sink, Noah Jupe, Liv Hill and Kate Phillips alongside Levi Brown, Cormac McAlinden, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, Alistair Nwachukwu and Arti Shah.
Chair of the judges and The Stage reviews editor Sam Marlowe said:
‘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, and limitless vision, both of which continue to make our theatre culture vibrant, challenging, thrilling and beautiful. These are artists taking their first steps with their gaze firmly fixed on the future – and the Debuts celebrates not only their achievements so far, but all those still to come.’
Voting for Best West End Debut Performer is now open and will close on 13 September, with the winner decided by a public vote.
The winners of The Stage Debut Awards 2026 will be announced at the ninth annual ceremony on 27 September at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London.
The Stage Debut Awards 2026 Nominees in Full
Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Encore)
• Robert Aramayo for Guess How Much I Love You? at Royal Court Theatre, London
• Zoë Armer for The Virgins at Soho Theatre, London
• Noah Jupe for Romeo and Juliet at Harold Pinter Theatre, London
• Assa Kanouté 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 (sponsored by Michael Harrison Entertainment)
• 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 (sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions)
• 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 (sponsored by Preevue)
• Lev Govorovski and Ted Walliker for RON
• Alex Mullins for Teeth ‘n’ Smiles
• Natalie Roar for Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide)
• John Carney and Gary Clark for Sing Street
• Jordan Luke Gage for Redcliffe
• Guido García Lueches and Sergio Antonio Maggiolo for Jeezus!
• Ed Zanders for Thespians
Best Creative West End Debut (sponsored by Jamie Wilson Productions)
• Finn den Hertog for The Fifth Step at @sohoplace
• Tom Fletcher for Paddington the Musical at Savoy Theatre
• Rachel Joyce and Passenger for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at Theatre Royal Haymarket
• Ava Pickett for 1536 at Ambassadors Theatre
Best West End Debut Performer
• Levi Brown for Cyrano de Bergerac at Noël 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
More information can be found here.
