Winners of The Stage Debut Awards 2023 announced
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This year at The Stage Debut Awards, all eyes were on 45 talented nominees spanning 8 diverse categories. These categories encompassed a wide range of artistic roles, from performers and composers to designers, writers, lyricists, and directors, all of whom made their remarkable debuts on stages across the country. Notably, this year's winners had the added thrill of receiving a portion of a £10,000 prize fund, marking a special moment for the nominees.
## The winners of the 2023 Stage Debut Awards
The former winner of 2021’s *Strictly Come Dancing****,*** **Rose Ayling-Ellis** scooped up the Best West End Debut award for her standout performance in *As You Like It* at @sohoplace. The category, the only one voted by the public, is hotly contested and Ayling-Ellis proved the favourite out of a strong shortlist that included *A Streetcar Named Desire’s* Paul Mescal*,* Emily Fairn and Mike Faist in *Brokeback M*ountain, Kyle Ramar Freeman in *A Strange Loop,* Gabriel Howell for *The Unfriend,* Zachary Quinto for *Best of Enemies* and Samira Wiley for *Blues for an Alabama Sky.*
The night also saw two categories with joint winners. Best Performer in a Play was awarded to both **Isobel Thom** for Shakespeare’s Globe’s *I, Joan* and **Elan Davies** for *Imrie* at the Sherman Theatre Cardiff, the latter marked the first win at The Stage Debut Awards for a performer in a Welsh-language production. The Best Creative West End Debut award was also shared between two winners: **Rob Madge**, for writing their West End hit show *My Son's a Queer, (But What Can You Do?)* at the Garrick Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre and **Tingying Dong** for her sound design that created an eerie atmosphere for The Crucible at the National Theatre and Gielgud Theatre.
**Jessica Lee** took home the Best Performer in a Musical award for *Miss Saigon* at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, while productions staged at the Bush Theatre, London had two winners in the creative categories: **Anoushka Lucas** was honoured for Best Writer for *Elephant and* **Emily Ling Williams** received the Best Director award for *A Playlist for The Revolution*.
Hit productions staged at the Barbican Theatre also made their mark at the awards with a win for **Andrea Scott** for her video design for *My Neighbour Totoro* in the Best Designer category. Meanwhile, Broadway musical sensation **Michael R Jackson** showed his influence on both sides of the Atlantic, as he scooped the Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer award for his stunning show *A Strange Loop*.
## Who hosted The Stage Debut Awards 2023?
The winners were announced at **The Stage Debut Awards**, hosted by legendary drag artist, performer and singer **Divina De Campo** on **October 1 2023 at 8 Northumberland Avenue,** London. The ceremony also featured live performances by Divina De Campo, who opened the night with an exclusive musical number devised especially for the ceremony. **Rachael Wooding** sang *After the Rain* from the hit new British musical *Standing at the Sky's Edge,* opening at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End in 2024; Charing Cross Theatre’s upcoming *Bronco Billy: The Musical* lead’s **Emily Benjamin** performed *Cabaret’s* soaring ballad *Maybe this Time* and rounding off the evening **Zizi Strallen** performed *Champagne Dreams* from *Cake: The Marie Antoinette Playlist* which just completed a short West End transfer to the Lyric Theatre last month.
### THE WINNERS IN FULL
Best Performer in a Play (Sponsored by Cabbells):
* Elan Davies for *Imrie* at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
* Isobel Thom for *I, Joan* at Shakespeare's Globe, London
Best Performer in a Musical (Sponsored by Carnival Cruise Line):
* Jessica Lee for *Miss Saigon* at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Best Director: (Sponsored by Arts Council England)
* Emily Ling Williams for *A Playlist for the Revolution* at Bush Theatre, London
Best Designer (Sponsored by Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL):
* Andrea Scott (video) for *My Neighbour Totoro* at Barbican Theatre, London
Best Writer (Sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions):
* Anoushka Lucas for *Elephant* at Bush Theatre, London
Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (Sponsored by Crossroads Live):
* Michael R Jackson for *A Strange Loop* at Barbican Theatre, London
Best West End Debut Performer (Sponsored by TodayTix)
* Rose Ayling-Ellis for *As You Like It* at @sohoplace
Best Creative West End Debut: (Sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment)
* Tingying Dong (sound designer) for *The Crucible* at National Theatre and Gielgud Theatre
* Rob Madge (writer) for *My Son's a Queer, (But What Can You Do?)* at Garrick Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre