Best Director

Elizabeth Dulau Alexandra Jensen and Mariah Gale in The Bleeding Tree. Image by Lidia Crisafulli

First professional directorial credit in a production staged between July 18, 2024 and July 17, 2025 in the UK and reviewed by The Stage.

Nominees must be over 16 years old or over.

Best Director Winner

Richard Mylan

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

2025 Best Director Shortlist

Aditya Chopra

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

Nathan Crossan-Smith

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

Adam Karim

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

Emily Susanne Lloyd

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

Richard Mylan

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