The ceremony, in association with Netflix, took place at a star-studded ceremony in London last night (Sunday). This year’s Stage Debut Awards celebrated performers, composers, designers, writers, lyricists, and directors whose breakthrough work premiered across theatres from all four nations of the UK.
Richard Mylan, Rachel Zegler and Milly Sweeney. Photo by Alex Brenner
The biggest winner of the night came from Rachel Zegler, who won the prize for Best West End Debut Performer following on from her run as Eva Peron in Evita at the London Palladium this summer.
The Stage Debut Awards 2025 were hosted by comedy royalty and actor Julian Clary. The ceremony also features live performances from Just For One Day's Craig Els, Jesus Christ Superstar's Parisa Shamir, and Tobais Turley performed a song from the new musical Hot Mess, which has a limited run in London this Autumn. The night wrapped up with a special grand finale performance from the cast of Magic Mike Live.
The Stage editor Alistair Smith said: “This year’s winners range from Hollywood star Rachel Zegler making her West End debut to our most regionally and internationally diverse line-up yet, with productions from Scotland, Wales and Bristol recognised alongside talent from Australia. It’s a vivid reminder of the extraordinary breadth of artists making their debuts on UK stages – and a clear sign that the future of the sector is in safe hands."
The winners in full were:
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
