Stalls To Stage Awards 2026

Press
Written By Ruby

Stalls to Stage, an independent theatre hub is delighted to announce the nominations for the Stalls to Stage Awards 2026, which will return in the new year following a hugely successful inaugural ceremony.

Established to celebrate and diversify talent recognition in the industry beyond mainstream theatre awards, this year’s Awards will honour nominees across 26 categories. Between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025, professionally produced productions in all UK commercial and subsidised venues with a run of at least two weeks; and professional debuts, West End debuts, takeover performances, covers and alternates in those productions; as well as touring and concert productions were eligible for consideration by a panel of artists, creatives and theatre makers, the shortlist of which will then be voted upon by the general public.

Voting is now open at stallstostage.co.uk/vote – audiences are invited to cast their votes online before 10th December 2025 at 11:59pm UK time. 

The National Theatre leads the lineup for this year with a record-breaking 23 nominations, representing talent across its productions on the South Bank and in the West End – including 9 nominations for the global sensation Hadestown which continues at the Lyric Theatre.

Producing powerhouse Chichester Festival Theatre breaks through the regional scene with 18 nominations, including its acclaimed revival of Oliver! which continues to play in the West End, its recent summer musical Top Hat currently dazzling audiences on tour, as well as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry due to transfer to the West End next year.

Donmar Warehouse’s eclectic programme earns 9 nominations across both musicals and plays, with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Stratford East both holding 8 nominations each; elsewhere across the country, the Made At Curve and Room On Your Own production of Kinky Boots heads up the touring category with 7 nominations, ahead of strutting into the London Coliseum next spring.

Alongside production honours, leading and supporting performances, creative contributions and design, the Awards aim to recognise talent beyond mainstream theatre awards with further categories for casting, debut performances, takeovers, swings, covers, alternates and WHAM (Wigs, Hair and Make-Up) as part of a wider call for inclusion.

The Gavin Creel Community Champion Award spotlights a person or organisation who has gone above and beyond tokenistic representation to support, champion and increase opportunities for specific communities – its winner, selected by the Founder, will be revealed on the night.

Speaking on today’s nominations announcement, Founder and Director of Stalls to Stage Bri said,

The first year of the Stalls to Stage Awards was a truly joyous experience, and it has touched me to see how much it meant to those nominated and celebrated to have been part of something new, with community at the centre. I am beyond excited to share the nominees for our second year of Awards.

It’s been an incredible year of theatre right across the country, and I hope people feel these nominations reflect that. I am also thrilled to be including new categories like Best WHAM, Best Choreography, and Best Costume Design to move us closer to our goal of being the biggest, most inclusive celebration of UK Theatre. Congratulations to all nominees and thank you for your work!’

The Stalls to Stage Awards 2026 is presented by Stalls to Stage.

Full List of Nominations

Best Actor in a Play

  • ALEC BOADEN, Punch – Nottingham Playhouse, Young Vic and Apollo Theatre

  • GILES TERERA, Hamlet – Minerva Theatre, Chichester

  • STUART THOMPSON, Radiant Boy – Southwark Playhouse Borough

  • ARINZÉ KENE, Alterations – National Theatre – Lyttelton

  • IVANNO JEREMIAH, Retrograde – Kiln Theatre and Apollo Theatre

Best Actress in a Play

  • ANOUSHKA DESHMUKH, Marriage Material – Lyric Hammersmith

  • JASMINE ELCOCK, Fat Ham – Swan Theatre

  • SIENA KELLY, 1536 – Almeida Theatre

  • DIVEEN HENRY, Miss Myrtle’s Garden – Bush Theatre

  • PAMELA NOMVETE, Coriolanus – National Theatre – Lyttelton

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

  • EMMANUEL AKWAFO, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bridge Theatre

  • JOS VANTYLER, Twelfth Night or What You Will – Shakespeare’s Globe

  • WIL JOHNSON, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew – Bush Theatre

  • HAMMED ANIMASHAUN, Dealer’s Choice – Donmar Warehouse

  • JOSH BARROW, Dear England – National Theatre – Olivier, Prince Edward Theatre and Tour

 Best Supporting Actress in a Play

  • FAITH OMOLE, Intimate Apparel – Donmar Warehouse

  • RONKE ADEKOLUEJO, The Importance of Being Earnest – National Theatre – Lyttelton

  • SHAZIA NICHOLLS, Speed – Bush Theatre

  • KATE KORDEL, Noughts and Crosses – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • SHALISHA JAMES-DAVIS, Punch – Nottingham Playhouse, Young Vic and Apollo Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical

  • DYLAN WOOD, Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • NATEY JONES, The Harder They Come – Stratford East

  • SIMON LIPKIN – Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • JOHN DAGLEISH, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Ambassadors Theatre

  • ROLAN BELL, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical – Aldwych Theatre 

Best Actress in a Musical

  • CHARLIE BURN, Mean Girls – Savoy Theatre

  • COURTNEY BOWMAN, Kinky Boots – UK & Ireland Tour

  • LAUREN DREW, Titanique – Criterion Theatre

  • CHUMISA DORFORD-MAY, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 – Donmar Warehouse

  • EMMA FLYNN, Clueless – Trafalgar Theatre

  • MADELINE CHARLEMAGNE, The Harder They Come – Stratford East 

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

  • DANNY BAILEY, The Harder They Come – Stratford East

  • MATT HENRY, The Devil Wears Prada – Dominion Theatre

  • STEVIE WEBB, Shucked – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • JAMIE MUSCATO, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 – Donmar Warehouse

  • OSCAR CONLON-MORREY, Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

 Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

  • BRIANNA OGUNBAWO, MALINDA PARRIS, SHARLENE HECTOR, ROBYN ROSE-LI and CANDACE FURBERT, Disney’s Hercules – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

  • GEORGINA ONUORAH, Shucked – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • RACHEL TUCKER, The Great Gatsby – London Coliseum

  • GEORGINA CASTLE, Mean Girls – Savoy Theatre

  • MAIMUNA MEMON, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 – Donmar Warehouse 

Screen Stars on Stage

  • DAVID OYELOVO, Coriolanus – National Theatre – Olivier

  • EDWARD BLUEMEL, Born With Teeth, Wyndham’s Theatre

  • MICHAEL SHEEN, Nye – National Theatre – Olivier and Wales Millennium Centre

  • NCUTI GATWA, The Importance of Being Earnest – National Theatre – Olivier; and Born With Teeth –Wyndham’s Theatre

  • DAVID TENNANT, Macbeth – Donmar Warehouse and Harold Pinter Theatre

  • JOHANNES RADEBE, Kinky Boots, UK & Ireland Tour

  • NATALIE DORMER, Anna Karenina – Chichester Festival Theatre

  • RACHEL ZEGLER, Evita – The London Palladium

Best Non-Binary Performer

  • BAYLIE CARSON, Mean Girls – Savoy Theatre

  • CORAL WYLIE, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew – Bush Theatre

  • NEWTION MATTHEWS, Kinky Boots – UK & Ireland Tour; and The Harder They Come – Stratford East

  • CLAUDIA KARIUKI, Shucked – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • JAZ TRIADI, Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • ROB MADGE, Cabaret – Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Best Professional or West End Debut

  • CHAD SAINT LOUIS, Dupree W. Dupree in Cry-Baby – Arcola Theatre

  • KAT ROONEY, Rose in Titanique – Criterion Theatre

  • SHEYI COLE, Ralph in Lord of the Flies – Chichester Festival Theatre

  • DESMONDA CATHABEL, Eurydice in Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • SHERIDAN TOWNSLEY, Connor in Sing Street – Lyric Hammersmith

  • GEORGIE BUCKLAND, Andy in The Devil Wears Prada – Dominion Theatre 

Best Takeover

  • AVA BRENNAN, Nancy in Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre

  • BILLY LUKE NEVERS, Aaron Burr in Hamilton – UK & Ireland Tour

  • NATALIE KASSANGA, Satine in Moulin Rouge! The Musical – Piccadilly Theatre

  • VICTORIA HAMILTON-BARRITT, Persephone in Hadestown – Lyric Theatre 

Best Performance by a Cover or Alternate

  • ALLIE DANIEL, Hermes in Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • COLLETTE GUITART, Nancy in Why Am I So Single? – Garrick Theatre

  • NEWTION MATTHEWS, Lola in Kinky Boots – UK & Ireland Tour

  • BELLA BROWN, Eva Peron in Evita, The London Palladium

  • MELVIN LeBLANC, Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge! The Musical – Piccadilly Theatre

Best Concert

  • AARON TVEIT – Lambert Jackson Productions at The London Palladium

  • HERE WE GO AGAIN: STEVIE DOC AND TOBIAS TURLEY – Lambert Jackson Productions at Cadogan Hall

  • MARISHA WALLACE – Cuffe & Taylor and Live Nation in association with United Talent Agency at the Adelphi Theatre

  • THE BLACKPRINT CONCERT – Phoenix Arts Club

  • JEREMY JORDAN – Lambert Jackson Productions at Royal Albert Hall

  • SAMANTHA BARKS – Lambert Jackson Productions at The London Palladium

Best In Concert Production

  • DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, Lambert Jackson Productions and Positive Sum at The London Palladium

  • SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, Alexandra Palace Theatre

  • NINE, Hope Mill Theatre at Lowry

  • SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, Lambert Jackson Productions and Positive Sum at Eventim Apollo 

Best Writer

  • AVA PICKETT, 1536 – Almeida Theatre

  • LIZ DUFFY ADAMS, Born With Teeth – Wyndham’s Theatre

  • LYNN NOTTAGE, Intimate Apparel – Donmar Warehouse

  • TIM PRICE, Nye – National Theatre – Olivier and Wales Millennium Centre

  • JAMES GRAHAM, Dear England – National Theatre – Olivier, Prince Edward Theatre and UK Tour

  • JAZ TRIADI, Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • RYAN CALAIS CAMERON, Retrograde – Kiln Theatre and Apollo Theatre

Best Director

  • AMIT SHARMA, Retrograde – Kiln Theatre and Apollo Theatre

  • LYNDSEY TURNER, 1536 – Almeida Theatre

  • MATTHEW BOURNE, Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • KATY RUDD, Ballet Shoes – National Theatre – Olivier

  • LYNETTE LINTON, Intimate Apparel – Donmar Warehouse

  • RUPERT GOOLD, Dear England – National Theatre – Olivier, Prince Edward Theatre and UK Tour

Best Choreography

  • DREW McONIE, Brigadoon – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • LEAH HILL, Kinky Boots – UK & Ireland Tour

  • KATHLEEN MARSHALL, Top Hat – Chichester Festival Theatre

  • DOMINIQUE KELLEY, The Great Gatsby – London Coliseum

  • MATTHEW BOURNE, Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • SHELLEY MAXWELL, The Harder They Come – Stratford East

Best Creative Design (Set, Lighting or Sound)

  • GARETH FRY (Sound), Macbeth – Donmar Warehouse and Harold Pinter Theatre

  • LEZ BROTHERSTON (Set), Oliver! –Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • PAUL TATE dePOO III, The Great Gatsby – London Coliseum

  • JETHRO COMPTON (Set), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Ambassadors Theatre

  • MATT DAW (Lighting), Lord of the Flies – Chichester Festival Theatre

  • SCOTT PASK, Shucked – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Best Costume Design

  • GREGG BARNES, The Devil Wears Prada – Dominion Theatre

  • LEZ BROTHERSTON, Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • PALOMA YOUNG, Clueless – Trafalgar Theatre

  • JOANNA SCOTCHER, Born With Teeth – Wyndham’s Theatre

  • LINDA CHO, The Great Gatsby – London Coliseum

Best Wigs, Hair and Makeup Design

  • ADELE BRANDMAN and Team, The Importance of Being Earnest – National Theatre – Lyttelton

  • KIRK CAMBRIDGE-DEL PESCHE, MIA M. NEAL and Team, Disney’s Hercules – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

  • SAM COX, ELISE BAKER and Team, Clueless – Trafalgar Theatre

  • JENNIFER MULLINS and Team, Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

  • LIV BURTON and Team, Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

Best Casting

  • ALASTAIR COOMER, The Importance of Being Earnest – National Theatre – Lyttelton and Noël Coward Theatre

  • HEATHER BASTEN, The Harder They Come – Stratford East

  • JILL GREEN – Shucked, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • FELICITY FRENCH, PAUL WOOLER and VERITY NAUGHTON – Oliver! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • JACOB SPARROW, Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

Best Play

  • BORN WITH TEETH – Wyndham’s Theatre

  • THE FIFTH STEP – @sohoplace

  • RETROGRADE, Kiln Theatre and Apollo Theatre

  • DEAR ENGLAND – National Theatre – Olivier, Prince Edward Theatre and UK Tour

  • THE LEHMAN TRILOGY, Gillian Lynne Theatre

  • 1536, Almeida Theatre 

Best Musical

  • CLUELESS – Trafalgar Theatre

  • THE HARDER THEY COME – Stratford East

  • SHUCKED – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

  • THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Ambassadors Theatre

  • OLIVER! – Chichester Festival Theatre and Gielgud Theatre

  • TITANIQUE – Criterion Theatre

Best Touring Production

  • CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG – Crossroads Live

  • KINKY BOOTS – Made at Curve and Room On Your Own

  • & JULIET – Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd, and Rebecca Quigley

  • DEAR EVAN HANSEN – ATG Productions

  • MARY POPPINS, Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Group

Best Regional Production

  • FAT HAM – Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

  • LIBERATION – Royal Exchange, Manchester

  • TOP HAT – Chichester Festival Theatre and UK Tour

  • JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR – Watermill Theatre, Newbury

  • ROMEO & JULIET – Liverpool Everyman

  • THE UNLIKELY PILGRAMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, Minerva Theatre, Chichester

Gavin Creel Community Champion Award

  • Winner revealed on the night

Ruby