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Full List of The Stage Debut Award Winners 2024

Posted on 29 September 2024

The debut dozen have been revealed! The 12 winners of The Stage Debut Awards collected their well-earned trophies at a glittering ceremony in London's West End today (29 September).

This year 49 nominees across eight categories were in the spotlight, representing performers, composers, designers, writers, lyricists and directors whose work premiered on stages across the UK in the previous year. 

Olivier Award nominee Jack Wolfe, scooped the Best West End Debut Performer award for his enormously compelling and vocally accomplished performance as Gabe in Next To Normal at Wyndham’s Theatre. Wolfe emerged as the people’s West End favourite (it’s the only category decided by public vote) from a strong shortlist that included Will Close for Dear England; Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke; Toheeb Jimoh in Player Kings; Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in Romeo and Juliet; Ed Larkin in The Little Big Things; Grace Hodgett Young in Sunset Boulevard and Louis McCartney in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Such was the level of talent at this year's ceremony that Best Performer in a Play AND Best Performer in a Musical were both shared by two performers! Ellie-May Sheridan’s scene-stealing turn in London Tide at the National Theatre and Louis McCartney’s menacingly mercurial performance in Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre both took home the prize in the play category. Best Performer in a Musical award was shared between Jeevan Braich for his vocal prowess and impressive roller skating skills in Starlight Express at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, and Grace Hodgett Young who won the award for her impressive performance in Jamie Lloyd’s hit revival Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre.

The current wealth of new-writing talent in the industry was resoundingly acknowledged this year with the Best Writer award going to two upcoming industry stars. Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre shared the accolade with Azuka Oforka for The Women of Llanrumney at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. More awards on the night recognising talent behind the scenes included Best Creative West End Debut, which was given to Bush Theatre’s associate artistic director Daniel Bailey for his dynamic and sensitively directed production of Tyrell Williams’ Red Pitch. The production enjoyed a hugely successful West End transfer to @sohoplace. 

This year’s directing accolade went to Sophie Drake who was honoured with the Best Director award for The Bleeding Tree at Southwark Playhouse Borough. The judges said Drake “infused finesse into all aspects of this dark, grisly anti-fairytale”. For the first time, all nominees in this category were women, and the award was presented by the acclaimed BAFTA nominated director and Bush Theatre’s artistic director Lynette Linton.

The unforgettable and now iconic video design for Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre was recognised in the Best Designer award, which Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom took home. Jack Godfrey won the Best Composer, Lyricist, or Book Writer award for his all-round talents bringing 42 Balloons at The Lowry, Salford, a charming new musical success story, to life. The Stage editor Alistair Smith commented on the celebrations: “The judges were in complete awe of the talent on display from all our winners. In many cases, it felt almost inconceivable these could be their professional debuts such was the level of skill on show. "At a time when there has been much talk about how difficult it is for new playwrights to break through, the judges were particularly pleased to be able to recognise two superb winners in the Best Writer category for the first time, such was the quality of the shortlist."

 

The Stage Debut 2024 Award Winners in Full 

Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide)

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

Best Performer in a Musical (sponsored by Michael Harrison Entertainment)

Best Director (sponsored by Arts Council England)

  • Ellie Coote for 42 Balloons at the Lowry, Manchester
  • WINNER: Sophie Drake for The Bleeding Tree at the Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
  • Emily Foran for Little Women at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Best Designer (sponsored by Preevue)

  • WINNER: Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video) for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, London
  • Ellie Koslowsky (set) for Vegetables at A secret location, London
  • Nadya Sayapina (set), Anastasiya Ryabova (costume), Lidiia Dresch-Pyshna (costume) and Dmytro Guk (video/projection) for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt at Barbican Theatre, London
  • Skylar Turnbull Hurd (lighting) for These Demons at Theatre503, London

Best Writer (sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions)

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

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (sponsored by Crossroads Live)

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

Best West End Debut Performer (Sponsored by Noël Coward Foundation)

Best Creative West End Debut (sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment)

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

The Stage Debut Awards first took place in 2017 and recipients of these awards have gone on to star in West End shows, television series and films. Last year’s winners included Rob Madge for My Son's a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) at the Garrick Theatre and the 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, Gielgud and  National Theatre. A further roll call of notable award winners from previous years include Jodie Comer (Prima Facie), Shan Ako (Les Misérables), SpitLip (Operation Mincemeat), Tyrell Williams (Red Pitch), Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen), Miriam-Teak Lee (& Juliet), Bush Theatre artistic director Lynette Linton (Sweat) and composers Femi Temowo (Death of a Salesman) and Dan Gillespie Sells (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie).

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Sian McBride

By Sian McBride