The Stage Debut Awards 2025: nominees in full

Wonder Boy

Bristol Old Vic

Agbangbe gave a skilful, emotionally articulate and sensitive performance as Sonny, the play’s stammering young protagonist.

Agent: Identity Agency Group

Training: LAMDA

The Tragedy of Richard III

Lyric Theatre, Belfast

With previous credits as a live art performer, Clarke, who is Deaf and performs using sign language, delivered a chilling performance as the assassin Tyrell.

Agent: Unrepresented

The Red Shoes

Swan Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Edwards threw himself into his role as the creepy Clive, who enthuses about his love for taxidermy and lopping off extremities with an axe.

Agent: Victoria Lepper Associates

Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Stereophonic

Duke of York’s Theatre, London

Playing Diana, Karczewski shone in the role of the band’s young female singer emerging out of the shadow of her male bandmates.

Agent: United Agents

Training: LAMDA

The Glass Menagerie

Yard Theatre, London

Morgan gave a standout performance as Laura, realistically and sensitively portraying the character’s debilitating anxieties.

Agent: Independent Talent

Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Blood Wedding

Omnibus Theatre, London

Neenan delivered a hugely promising debut in the role of volatile young lover Rob in Barney Norris’ adaptation of Lorca.

Agent: Unrepresented

Ballet Shoes

National Theatre, London

An experienced child performer, Sequerra impressed in her adult debut as ambitious young dancer Posy in the National’s Ballet Shoes.

Agent: Independent Talent

Training: DMA London Elite Masterclasses

Redlands

Chichester Festival Theatre

As a young Mick Jagger, Talbot captured the singer’s notorious onstage presence, preening, stamping and swivelling his hips.

Agent: United Agents

Training: RADA

Muriel’s Wedding the Musical

Curve, Leicester

Ellis’ winning stage presence and stonkingly good voice impressed in the stage adaptation of the hit film.

Agent: Anthony Paul Associates

Training: Birmingham School of Acting

The Mad Ones

The Other Palace, London

Delivered powerhouse vocals and likeability as Samantha in the UK debut of Kerrigan and Lowdermilk’s musical.

Agent: Avenue Agents

Training: The Musical Theatre Academy

The Phantom of the Opera

His Majesty’s Theatre, London

Made a stunning professional debut as Christine in the long-running West End production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Agent: Collective Agents

Training: Guildford School of Acting

Why Am I So Single?

Garrick Theatre, London

Originating her first professional role in the West End premiere of Why Am I So Single?, Tulley impressed as Nancy with an exquisite voice and vast vocal range.

Agent: 33 Entertainment Group

Training: Emil Dale Academy 

Come Fall in Love

Opera House, Manchester

An experienced film director, Chopra made his theatrical debut with this impressive stage musical adaptation of his own film.

Agent: Yash Raj Films

The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure

Liverpool Everyman

Crossan-Smith’s imaginative staging incorporated foley effects to allow for a walrus, a stag and a bear to all be conjured up in the minds of the audience.

Training: LAMDA

Guards at the Taj

Orange Tree Theatre, London

Karim infused his staging of Rajiv Joseph’s grisly play with unexpected warmth and humour.

Training: Manchester School of Theatre

The Mad Ones

The Other Palace, London

For a small-scale show in a studio space, Lloyd’s flawless musical production punched well above its weight.

Training: Drama Studio London

Mumfighter

Swansea Grand Theatre

A previous nominee as a writer, Mylan impressed again with this directorial debut – his visceral and urgent staging of a muscular one-woman play was laced with anger, pathos and emotion.

Training: Urdang Academy

Various at Finborough Theatre

Finborough Theatre, London

Demoulin’s designs showed great range and flair across a range of shows at the Finborough, with her work on Burnt-Up Love particularly impressive.

Nominated for: Set design

Training: École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette

Communion

Bush Theatre, London

Jefferys’ lighting was clean and effective, clearly marking each of the show’s many transitions and giving each segment its own distinct feel.

Nominated for: Lighting design

The Passenger / Personal Values

Finborough Theatre, London / Hampstead Theatre, London

Schmidt’s in-the-round set and costumes for The Passenger conjured up Nazi Berlin, while in Personal Values, working as costume designer and associate set designer, she helped depict the clutter of a hoarder’s home.

Nominated for: Set and costume design

The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure

Liverpool Everyman

Wyn’s abstract set provided a canvas on to which the audience could paint with their imagination in this entertainingly offbeat tale.

Nominated for: Set and costume design

Agent: LIPA

Seagulls and Sad, Sad Stories

Laurels, Whitley Bay

Bond’s accomplished debut was a sharply funny and perceptive story of teenage friendship set in a seaside amusement arcade.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank

Marylebone Theatre, London

Englander’s play was a fiery and intelligent exploration of Jewish identity.

Agent: Aragi

Miss Myrtle’s Garden

Bush Theatre, London

King’s play was a blisteringly beautiful exploration of dementia, community and connection in a rapidly changing London.

Agent: United Agents

Radiant Boy: A Haunting

Southwark Playhouse, London

Netherwood’s smart, atmospheric play upended well-worn horror tropes to tell a tale of queer rage and catharsis.

Agent: Casarotto Ramsay & Associates

1536

Almeida Theatre, London

This debut play about female friendship and male power by TV dramatist Ava Pickett was vividly engaging and delivered with dash and flair.

Agent: Curtis Brown

Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Water Colour

Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, St Andrews

Raw, real and mightily moving, Sweeney’s debut told a Glasgow-set story of depression, desperation and connection.

Agent: Brennan Artists

Training: New College Lanarkshire

Belly of the Beast

Finborough Theatre, London

Sze’s acid humour and sharply observed dialogue lifted this story of gender-nonconforming students and teachers within the English education system.

Lovestuck

Theatre Royal Stratford East, London

Cooper (book and lyrics), Christopher (music and lyrics) and Batchelar (music) created a frothy and fun new musical with catchy, poppy numbers and a genuinely funny book.

Agent: The Caroline Underwood Agency (Batchelar), Frank Music (Christopher), the Soho Agency (Cooper)

Fangirls

Lyric Hammersmith, London

Australian Blake’s musical took a few years to make it to the UK but was worth the wait, offering a kooky homage to the culture of superfans.

Agent: PBJ Management

One Man Musical by Flo & Joan

Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh

Flo & Joan (as the Dempsey’s cabaret alter egos are known) penned a superbly silly musical about the life of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Agent: Avalon UK

Shifters

Duke of York’s Theatre

Agyepong gave a spiky and charismatic performance as the uptight and ambitious Des in this romantic comedy.

Agent: United Agents

Training: Identity School of Acting

Oedipus

Wyndham’s Theatre

Brewer made a big impression in the small but crucial role of Teiresias in Robert Icke’s updated staging of the Greek tragedy.

Agent: The Production Exchange

Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

The Devil Wears Prada

Dominion Theatre

Gave a standout performance as Andy, dominating the stage in the musical version of the hit film.

Agent: 33 Entertainment Group

Agent: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Shifters

Duke of York’s Theatre

A charming and playful performance as Dre in the West End transfer of Benedict Lombe’s play.

Agent: Curtis Brown

Clueless the Musical

Trafalgar Theatre

Flynn brought charm and wit to her gloriously upbeat portrayal of Cher in the stage adaptation of the 1995 movie.

Agent: The Roster Agency

Training: The Hartt School of Music

Evita

London Palladium

As the narrator Che, Rodriguez gave a performance of intensity and vocal power.

Agent: The Gersh Agency

Titanique

Criterion Theatre

As Rose in this Titanic spoof, Ronney nailed the comedy and the vocals.

Agent: Thrive Talent

Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Evita

London Palladium

Zegler brought her star wattage and extraordinary vocals to the role of Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s much talked about revival.

Agent: Creative Artists Agency

The Years

Harold Pinter Theatre

Arbo’s imaginative adaptation and direction managed to skilfully distil seven decades of a woman’s life from Annie Ernaux’s book on to the stage.

Agent: Casarotto Ramsay & Associates

Role: Director/adapter

Titanique

Criterion Theatre

Titanique was an absolute riot and one of the unexpected hits of the past year, thanks in large part to Blue, Mindelle and Rousouli’s book.

Agent: CPK Artists & Curtis Brown (Blue), CPK Artists & Creative Artists Agency (Mindelle), CPK Artists & DKC/O&M (Rousouli)

Role: Writers

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ambassadors Theatre

Compton and Clark’s book, lyrics and score for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button beautifully transported F Scott Fitzgerald’s novella to a Cornish fishing village.

Agent: Sayle Screen (Compton), The Agency (Clark)

Role: Book/music/lyrics

Stereophonic

Duke of York’s Theatre

In a play where the music takes centre stage, Craig’s musical direction and orchestration were central to the show’s West End success.

Agent: WME Agency

Role: Musical director/orchestrator

Shifters

Duke of York’s Theatre

Lombe’s romantic comedy was fierce and funny and captured the giddy wonder of falling in love for the first time.

Agent: Curtis Brown

Role: Playwright

Giant

Harold Pinter Theatre

An experienced director, Rosenblatt made his West End debut as the writer of this stunning play that grapples with author Roald Dahl’s antisemitism.

Agent: The Agency

Role: Playwright

Retrograde

Apollo Theatre

Kiln artistic director Sharma made his West End debut with this transfer of his tense production of Ryan Calais Cameron’s play about Sidney Poitier.

Agent: Independent Talent

Role: Director