Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2026

Stuart King 6 March, 2026, 16:45

In April of this year, the prestigious Critics’ Circle will celebrate its 113th year. Recent efforts to modernise some of the organisation’s administrative functions have resulted in changes to the annual awards voting process and for the first in the Circle’s history, members have submitted and voted on long lists. From those submissions, short lists were drawn-up resulting in final nominee selections for each of the awards categories. The winners will be announced at a private awards ceremony to be held at the National Theatre on 26th March.

The full list of nominations for this past year:

THE MICHAEL BILLINGTON AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY

STEREOPHONIC (Duke of York’s Theatre) — David Adjmi
·ROMANS A NOVEL (Almeida Theatre) — Alice Birch
KENREX (The Other Palace) — Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian
PUNCH (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre) — James Graham (from a book by Jacob Dunne)
THE FIFTH STEP (@sohoplace) — David Ireland
INTER ALIA (National Theatre) — Suzie Miller
KYOTO (@sohoplace) — Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY OR MUSICAL

ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre)
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)
SHUCKED (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park)
SING STREET (Lyric Hammersmith)
TITANIQUE (Criterion Theatre)

The cast of Paddington the Musical. Photo by Johan Persson.

THE 5RB AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR

STEREOPHONIC (Duke of York’s Theatre) — Daniel Aukin
INTO THE WOODS (Bridge Theatre) — Jordan Fein
INTIMATE APPAREL (Donmar Warehouse) — Lynette Linton
EVITA (London Palladium) and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) — Jamie Lloyd
PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL (Savoy Theatre) — Luke Sheppard
ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre) — Ivo van Hove

BEST ENSEMBLE OR CAST

1536 (Almeida Theatre)
HERE WE ARE (National Theatre)
INTO THE WOODS (Bridge Theatre)
STEREOPHONIC (Duke of York’s Theatre)
THE WEIR (Harold Pinter Theatre)
WHEN WE ARE MARRIED (Donmar Warehouse)

MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT

A GHOST IN YOUR EAR and AN INTERROGATION (both at Hampstead Theatre) — Jamie Armitage
PORN PLAY (Royal Court) — Sophia Chetin-Leuner
THE MEAT KINGS! (INC) OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS (Park Theatre) — Hannah Doran
AFTER SUNDAY (Bush Theatre) — Sophia Griffin
RAGDOLL (Jermyn Street Theatre) — Katherine Moar
1536 (Almeida Theatre) — Ava Pickett
THE ESTATE (National Theatre) — Shaan Sahota

BEST ACTOR

THE ESTATE (National Theatre) — Adeel Akhtar
ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre) — Bryan Cranston
ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre) — Paapa Essiedu
THE WEIR (Harold Pinter Theatre) — Brendan Gleeson
GOODNIGHT, OSCAR (Barbican Theatre) — Sean Hayes
PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL (Savoy Theatre) — James Hameed & Arti Shah
PUNCH (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre) — David Shields

into the woods gracie mcgonigal Gracie McGonigal in Into the Woods. Photo by Johan Persson.

THE NLP AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS

INTO THE WOODS (Bridge Theatre) — Kate Fleetwood
PUNCH (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre) — Julie Hesmondhalgh
ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre) — Marianne Jean-Baptiste
INTER ALIA (National Theatre) — Rosamund Pike
THE UNBELIEVERS (Royal Court) — Nicola Walker
INTIMATE APPAREL (Donmar Warehouse) — Samira Wiley
EVITA (The London Palladium) — Rachel Zegler

BEST DESIGNER

KYOTO (@sohoplace) and THE LAND OF THE LIVING (National Theatre) — Miriam Buether
THE LADY FROM THE SEA (The Bridge) — Lizzie Clachan
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHIING (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and EVITA (The London Palladium) — Soutra Gilmour
PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL (Savoy Theatre) — Tom Pye
INTO THE WOODS (Bridge Theatre) — Tom Scutt
STEREOPHONIC (Duke of York’s) and HERE WE ARE (National Theatre) — David Zinn

THE TREWIN AWARD FOR BEST SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMANCE

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) — Hayley Atwell
RICHARD II (Bridge Theatre) — Jonathan Bailey
OTHELLO (Theatre Royal Haymarket) — David Harewood
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) — Tom Hiddleston
HAMLET (National Theatre) — Francesca Mills
TWELFTH NIGHT (Barbican) — Samuel West

David Harewood and Toby Jones in Othello. Photo by Brinkhoff Moegenburg.

THE JACK TINKER AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER (SPONSORED BY FINITO)

THE LADY FROM THE SEA (The Bridge) — Isobel Akuwudike
INDIAN INK (Hampstead Theatre) — Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis
SECOND BEST (Riverside Studios) — Asa Butterfield
THE WEIR (Harold Pinter Theatre) — Kate Phillips
EVITA (The London Palladium) — Diego Andres Rodriguez
INTER ALIA (National Theatre) — Jasper Talbot
THE LAND OF THE LIVING (National Theatre) — Artie Wilkinson-Hunt

EMPTY SPACE… PETER BROOK AWARD (IN MEMORY OF BLANCHE MARVIN)

ORANGE TREE THEATRE by Fiona Mountford – Chief Theatre Critic, The I Paper
RED ROSE CHAIN, Ipswich by Dominic Cavendish – Chief Theatre Critic, The Telegraph
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