The UK’s Critics’ Circle has revealed the winners of its 2026 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards, with Paddington The Musical, All My Sons, and Into The Woods among the top honourees.
The awards ceremony took place today, 26 March 2026, at the National Theatre in London. Regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of success for next month’s Olivier Awards, the Critics’ Circle winners are chosen by professional theatre critics from across the UK.
See the full list of winners and nominees below
For the first time this year, the voters of the awards, UK theatre critics who are all members of the Critics’ Circle, have chosen winners from a long and shortlist of nominations.
Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2026: The Winners
| Category | Winner | Production / Venue |
| Best New Play (Michael Billington Award) | James Graham | Punch (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre) |
| Best New Musical (Peter Hepple Award) | Paddington The Musical | Savoy Theatre |
| Best Revival (Play or Musical) | All My Sons | Wyndham’s Theatre |
| Best Director (5RB Award) | Ivo Van Hove | All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre) |
| Best Actor | Brendan Gleeson | The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre) |
| Best Actress (NLP Award) | Rosamund Pike | Inter Alia (National Theatre) |
| Best Shakespearean Performance | Hayley Atwell | Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) |
| Best Ensemble or Cast | The Cast of Into The Woods | Bridge Theatre |
| Best Designer | Tom Scutt | Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre) |
| Most Promising Playwright | Ava Pickett | 1536 (Almeida Theatre) |
| Most Promising Newcomer | Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis | Indian Ink (Hampstead Theatre) |
| Empty Space… Peter Brook Award | Red Rose Chain, Ipswich |
Major Wins for Paddington and All My Sons
Top scoring shows included Ivo van Hove’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons starring Bryan Cranston, which won two awards including Best Revival; and Jordan Fein’s production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Bridge Theatre, which also took home two prizes, including Best Ensemble or Cast.
The Best New Musical award went to Paddington The Musical at the Savoy Theatre, with James Graham’s Punch taking home Best New Play, and Ava Pickett winning Best New Playwright for 1536.
Acting awards went to Rosamund Pike for Inter Alia, which is now playing in the West End; Brendan Gleeson for The Weir; and Hayley Atwell for Much Ado About Nothing.
Rising star Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis, who is the daughter of Lorraine Ashbourne and Andy Serkis, took home the Most Promising Newcomer Award for her role in Indian Ink. The actress was also confirmed this month to star alongside Ralph Fiennes in the forthcoming London premiere of David Hare’s Grace Pervades.
The Empty Space… Peter Brook Award
The Empty Space… Peter Brook Award, which was incorporated into the awards four years ago and was founded by the late Blanche Marvin MBE who died in January 2026, recognises a theatre that embodies the spirit of Peter Brook, both in its use of space and in relation to its locality.
From this year, the award has been renamed The Empty Space… Peter Brook Award (In Memory of Blanche Marvin), and was decided by a separate panel of critics chosen by the Marvin family. The 2026 winner is the Red Rose Chain in Ipswich, nominated by Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish.
Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2026 – Full list of winners and nominees
THE MICHAEL BILLINGTON AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY
- David Adjmi – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
- Alice Birch – Romans A Novel (Almeida Theatre)
- Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian – Kenrex (The Other Palace)
- James Graham – Punch (from a book by Jacob Dunne) (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre) – WINNER
- David Ireland – The Fifth Step (@sohoplace)
- Suzie Miller – Inter Alia (National Theatre)
- Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson – Kyoto (@sohoplace)
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY OR MUSICAL
- All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre) – WINNER
- Brigadoon (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park)
- Evita (London Palladium)
- Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
- Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
- Indian Ink (Hampstead Theatre)
- The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
THE PETER HEPPLE AWARD FOR BEST NEW MUSICAL
- Cable Street (Southwark Playhouse)
- Here We Are (National Theatre)
- Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre) – WINNER
- Shucked (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park)
- Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith)
- Titanique (Criterion Theatre)
THE 5RB AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
- Daniel Aukin – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
- Jordan Fein – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
- Lynette Linton – Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
- Jamie Lloyd – Evita (London Palladium) and Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
- Luke Sheppard – Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre)
- Ivo van Hove – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre) – WINNER
BEST ENSEMBLE OR CAST
- 1536 (Almeida Theatre)
- Here We Are (National Theatre)
- Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre) – WINNER
- Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
- The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
- When We Are Married (Donmar Warehouse)
MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT
- Jamie Armitage – A Ghost in Your Ear (Hampstead Theatre) and An Interrogation (Hampstead Theatre)
- Sophia Chetin-Leuner – Porn Play (Royal Court)
- Hannah Doran – The Meat Kings! (Inc) of Brooklyn Heights (Park Theatre)
- Sophia Griffin – After Sunday (Bush Theatre)
- Katherine Moar – Ragdoll (Jermyn Street Theatre)
- Ava Pickett – 1536 (Almeida Theatre) – WINNER
- Shaan Sahota – The Estate (National Theatre)
BEST ACTOR
- Adeel Akhtar – The Estate (National Theatre)
- Bryan Cranston – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
- Paapa Essiedu – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
- Brendan Gleeson – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre) – WINNER
- Sean Hayes – Goodnight, Oscar (Barbican Theatre)
- James Hameed & Arti Shah – Paddington (Savoy Theatre)
- David Shields – Punch (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre)
THE NLP AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
- Kate Fleetwood – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
- Julie Hesmondhalgh – Punch (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre)
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
- Rosamund Pike – Inter Alia (National Theatre) – WINNER
- Nicola Walker – The Unbelievers (Royal Court)
- Samira Wiley – Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
- Rachel Zegler – Evita (The London Palladium)
BEST DESIGNER
- Miriam Buether – Kyoto (@sohoplace) and The Land of the Living (National Theatre)
- Lizzie Clachan – The Lady From The Sea (The Bridge Theatre)
- Soutra Gilmour – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Evita (The London Palladium)
- Tom Pye – Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre)
- Tom Scutt – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre) – WINNER
- David Zinn – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s) and Here We Are (National Theatre)
THE TREWIN AWARD FOR BEST SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMANCE
- Hayley Atwell – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) – WINNER
- Jonathan Bailey – Richard II (Bridge Theatre)
- David Harewood – Othello (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
- Tom Hiddleston – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
- Francesca Mills – Hamlet (National Theatre)
- Samuel West – Twelfth Night (Barbican)
THE JACK TINKER AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER (SPONSORED BY FINITO)
- Isobel Akuwudike – The Lady From The Sea (The Bridge)
- Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis – Indian Ink (Hampstead Theatre) – WINNER
- Asa Butterfield – Second Best (Riverside Studios)
- Kate Phillips – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
- Diego Andres Rodriguez – Evita (The London Palladium)
- Jasper Talbot – Inter Alia (National Theatre)
- Artie Wilkinson-Hunt – The Land of the Living (National Theatre)
EMPTY SPACE… PETER BROOK AWARD
- Orange Tree Theatre by Fiona Mountford – Chief Theatre Critic, The I Paper
- Red Rose Chain, Ipswich by Dominic Cavendish – Chief Theatre Critic, The Telegraph – WINNER
- Royal Court Upstairs by Andrzej Lukowski – Theatre & Dance Editor, Uk, Time Out Media
- The Other Palace Studio by Mark Shenton – Editor, Shentonstage Theatre Newsletter
- Wonder Fools by Lyn Gardner – Associate Editor, The Stage
Savoy Theatre, London
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