Winners of The Stage Debut Awards 2025

Winners of The Stage Debut Awards 2025, in association with Netflix, were revealed on September 28 at a star-studded ceremony taking place at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London. Rachel Zegler scooped the prize for Best West End Debut Performer, one of the evening’s most coveted awards, for her tour de force performance as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s triumphant revival of Evita. Hosted by comedy royalty and actor Julian Clary in front of some of UK theatre’s most influential figures, Zegler’s win – the people’s favourite – was the only award category to have been decided by the public.. The starry shortlist also included Zegler’s Evita co-star Diego Andres Rodriguez; both Tosin Cole (Netflix’s Supacell) and his co-star Heather Agyepong for Shifters; Kat Ronney for Titanique; The Devil Wears Prada’s Georgie Buckland; Clueless the Musical’s Emma Flynn and Samuel Brewer in Oedipus.

This year’s 46 nominations across eight categories celebrated performers, composers, designers, writers, lyricists and directors whose breakthrough work premiered across theatres from all four nations of the UK.

THE WINNERS IN FULL

Best Performer in a Play (Sponsored by Encore):

• Hilson Agbangbe for Wonder Boy at Bristol Old Vic
• Lucy Karczewski for Stereophonic at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London

Best Performer in a Musical (Sponsored by Michael Harrison Entertainment):

• Leesa Tulley for Why Am I So Single? at the Garrick Theatre, London

Best Director (Sponsored by Arts Council England):

• Richard Mylan for Mumfighter at Swansea Grand Theatre

Best Designer (Sponsored by Preevue):

• Hannah Schmidt (set and costume) for The Passenger/Personal Values at 

Finborough Theatre/Hampstead Theatre, London

Best Writer (Sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions):

• Ava Pickett for 1536 at the Almeida Theatre, London
• Milly Sweeney for Water Colour at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Byre Theatre, 
             St Andrews

 Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (Sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide):

• Yve Blake for Fangirls at Lyric Hammersmith, London

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

• Rachel Zegler for Evita at London Palladium 

 Best Creative West End Debut (Sponsored by Learn my Lines Productions):

• Mark Rosenblatt (playwright) for Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre

The Stage Debut Awards would like to thank sponsors Netflix, Encore, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Michael Harrison Entertainment, Arts Council England, Preevue, Sonia Friedman Productions, Noël Coward Foundation and Learn My Lines Productions.