The Stage has today announced The Stage Debut Awards will return as an in-person awards ceremony on Sunday, September 18, at 8 Northumberland Avenue in central London. Â
The Stage Debut Awards are the only awards dedicated to recognising breakthrough theatre talent. They celebrate emerging actors, directors, designers, writers, composers, lyricists and book writers from shows across the UK.
Previous winners and nominees have gone on to win Olivier awards, create popular BBC dramas, and have been cast in leading roles in West End shows. Previous winners include performers Miriam-Teak Lee (Hamilton, & Juliet), Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen), Danielle Fiamanya (& Juliet, Frozen) and Daniel Monks (The Normal Heart, The Seagull), and directors Katy Rudd (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) and Lekan Lawal (now artistic director and joint CEO of Eclipse Theatre).
Since 2017, the awards have taken place annually in September, with the 2020 ceremony taking place virtually for the first time. As no ceremony took place in 2021 as a result of the pandemic, debuts made between August 1, 2020 and July 17, 2022 are eligible. All debuts must be made in productions that have been reviewed by The Stage.
Nominations for The Stage Debut Awards are open online here
The categories for 2022 are:
- Best Performer in a Play
- Best Performer in a Musical
- Best Director
- Best Designer
- Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer
- Best Writer
- Best West End Debut Performer
- Best Creative West End Debut sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment
The Stage’s nationwide team of critics has been submitting recommendations for the longlist since August 2020, but eligible performers and creatives, established theatremakers and the general public, are all encouraged to suggest nominees for consideration online until Thursday, June 30, 2022. Debuts made between July 1 and 17 will be eligible, providing they have been submitted to the judging panel by June 30. This gives The Stage the chance to review the production for consideration.
The judging panel will decide the shortlist and winners in all categories, except the winner of the Best West End Debut Performer award. This is the only category decided by a public vote and details of this will be announced later in the year. This award celebrates a performer’s first appearance in London’s West End.
Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage says, “We are so excited to be able to bring The Stage Debut Awards back after last year’s enforced absence. Since The Stage launched the awards in 2017, they’ve played a key role in identifying and championing emerging theatre talent at the very start of their careers – and we are hugely proud of the success that our winners and nominees from previous years have gone on to enjoy.
“Given the huge difficulties that theatre and theatremakers have faced over the past two years, that early recognition is going to be more important than ever. And, just as importantly, it will be wonderful to be back together in a room celebrating all the hugely exciting new talent that is creating extraordinary work across UK theatre.”
