WhatsOnStage today announces that the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards will take place on Sunday 11 February 2024, at a West End theatre to be revealed very soon.
As well as seeing the winners crowned across a range of categories, theatregoers will also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances from top stage talent. The event is co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys.
Now in their 24th year, the WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major theatre awards decided by the theatregoers themselves.
Nominations are now open and will close on Thursday 23 November 2023 ahead of the shortlist being announced on Thursday 7 December 2023. Voting will then open at the same time, closing on Thursday 11 January 2024, with the winners being announced at the ceremony on Sunday 11 February 2024.
WhatsOnStage’s Alex Wood and Darius Thompson-Smith said today: “The WhatsOnStage Awards have been going from strength-to-strength every year, and we’re excited to keep that momentum going into 2024. The last 12 months has seen some revelatory productions that have both enchanted audiences and brought new theatre fans into the fold. We can’t wait to both see who our readers nominate and celebrate together in our sparkling West End concert ceremony next February!”
The awards categories will continue as before. Performance categories will be gender-free and, for each of the following, readers will be able to nominate and vote for one individual:
• Best Performer in a Play
• Best Performer in a Musical
• Best Supporting Performer in a Play
• Best Supporting Performer in a Musical
Additional audience-nominated categories include Best New Play, Best New Musical, Best Play Revival, Best Musical Revival, Best Regional Production, Best Takeover Performance, Best Professional Debut, Best Concert Event, Best West End Show and Best Off West End Production. Eligibility criteria are available on the WhatsOnStage Awards website (awards.whatsonstage.com).
The shortlist for the technical categories (Choreography, Costume Design, Direction, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, Musical Direction/Supervision, Set Design, Sound Design, Casting Direction and Video Design) will be decided once again by an independent panel of industry experts from across the UK appointed by WhatsOnStage, taking the total number of categories to 24. Shortlists will then be voted on by the general public.
