Nominations have been announced for The Stage Debut Awards 2024.

The annual awards are dedicated to recognising breakthrough theatre talent both on and off stage, amd organised by theatre industry media company The Stage.

The shortlist features actors and creatives who made their professional debuts between 18 July 2023 and 17 July 2024, with categories including Best Performer in a Play; Best Performer in a Musical; Best Director; Best Writer; Best Designer; Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer and Best West End Creative Debut.

A live ceremony announcing the winners of the awards will take place on Sunday 29 September 2024 at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London. Sponsors include ATG Entertainment, Trafalgar Entertainment, Crossroads Live, Sonia Friedman Productions, the Noël Coward Foundation, and Michael Harrison Entertainment.

The Stage Debut Awards 2024 - Nominees

West End stars now performing in London and nominated include Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow), Laura Dawkes (Frozen The Musical), Myles Frost (MJ The Musical), Jack Wolfe (Next to Normal) and Jeevan Braich (Starlight Express).

Big names featured on the list include Grammy award-winner Elvis Costello, nominated for Best Composer, Lyricist, or Book Writer for his musical contributions to Cold War at The Almeida Theatre. Costello is premiering his new musical, A Face in the Crowd, at The Young Vic next month. Also, Emmy winner Billy Crudup nominated for his solo performance in Harry Clarke; and Taylor Russell for her role in the Olivier award-nominated The Effect.

Names originally put forward for the awards have come from The Stage’s theatre critics, and the performers, writers, directors, designers, composers or lyricists themselves. A shortlist is then produced by a panel of 20 expert advisers decided by The Stage, including casting directors, producers, designers and other creatives from across the UK.

A judging panel then met in July to decide the shortlist, made up of Alistair Smith, Editor of The Stage; Sam Marlowe, Reviews editor of The Stage; Baz Bamigboye, Entertainment Columnist for Deadline; Dominic Cavendish, Theatre Critic of The Telegraph; Holly Williams, Journalist and Writer; Holly O’Mahony, Culture journalist and theatre critic; and Dave Fargnoli, Theatre Critic.

The judges will also decide the winners, except the Best West End Debut Performer, which is shortlisted by the judging panel but the winner will be decided by a public vote.

Last year’s The Stage Debut Awards winners included Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won the Best West End Debut Performer, following her performance in As You Like It at @sohoplace; Rob Madge for My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) at Garrick Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre; Isobel Thom for their leading role in I, Joan at Shakespeare’s Globe; Michael R Jackson for composing A Strange Loop at the Barbican Theatre; and Tingying Dong for her sound design on The Crucible at the Gielgud and National Theatre.

The Stage Debut Awards 2024 – Nominations

Best Performer in a Play

Deborah Ayorinde: Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, Lyric Hammersmith, London
Imogen Elliott: The Voice of the Turtle, Jermyn Street Theatre, London
Kasper Hilton-Hille: That Face, Orange Tree Theatre London
Gareth John: Housemates, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Louis McCartney: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre, London
Nadia Parkes: The House Party, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester
Taylor Russell: The Effect, National Theatre, London
Ellie-May Sheridan: London Tide, National Theatre, London

Best Performer in a Musical

Scarlett Ayers: The Verge of Forever, The Other Palace, London
Jeevan Braich: Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London
Laura Dawkes: Frozen, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
Myles Frost: MJ the Musical, Prince Edward Theatre, London
Joshua Ginsberg: Cable Street, Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
Grace Hodgett Young: Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre, London

Best Director

Ellie Coote: 42 Balloons, The Lowry, Manchester
Sophie Drake: The Bleeding Tree, Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
Emily Foran: Little Women, Southwark Playhouse Borough, London

Best Designer

Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (Video design): Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre, London
Ellie Koslowsky (Set design): Vegetables, A secret location, London
Nadya Sayapina (Set design), Anastasiya Ryabova (Costume design), Lidiia Dresch-Pyshna (Costume design) and Dmytro Guk (Video design): King Stakh’s Wild Hunt, Barbican Theatre, London
Skylar Turnbull Hurd (Lighting design): These Demons, Theatre503, London

Best Writer

Sam Grabiner: Boys on the Verge of Tears, Soho Theatre, London
Martha Loader: Bindweed, Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Harry McDonald: Foam, Finborough Theatre, London
Hannah Morley: We Could All Be Perfect, Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield
Azuka Oforka: The Women of Llanrumney, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Anastasia Osei-Kuffour: Love Steps, Omnibus Theatre, London

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer

Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab: The Enormous Crocodile, Leeds Playhouse, Leeds
Nick Butcher and Tom Ling: The Little Big Things, @sohoplace, London
Elvis Costello: Cold War, Almeida Theatre, London
Jack Godfrey: 42 Balloons, The Lowry, Manchester

Best West End Debut Performer

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers: Romeo and Juliet, Duke of York’s Theatre, London
Will Close: Dear England, National Theatre, London
Billy Crudup: Harry Clarke, Ambassadors Theatre, London
Grace Hodgett Young: Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre, London
Toheeb Jimoh: Player Kings, Noël Coward Theatre, London
Ed Larkin: The Little Big Things, @sohoplace, London
Louis McCartney: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre, London
Jack Wolfe: Next to Normal, Wyndham’s Theatre, London

Best Creative West End Debut

Daniel Bailey (Director): Red Pitch, @sohoplace, London
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan (Composer and lyricist): Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Criterion Theatre, London
Marcelo Dos Santos (Writer): Backstairs Billy, Duke of York’s Theatre, London
Kip Williams (Director): The Picture of Dorian Gray, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
Brian Yorkey (Lyricist) and Tom Kitt (Composer): Next to Normal, Wyndham’s Theatre, London

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Main photo: The Stage Debut Awards 2024. Photo by David Monteith-Hodge

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