The Stage Debut Awards 2024 nominations announced

The nominees for The Stage Debut Awards 2024 have been announced, featuring 44 nominees across eight categories. Among the Musical Theatre-related nominations, the contenders range from 18-year-old Starlight Express star Jeevan Braich to the two-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, who turns 70 this weekend.

Jeevan Braich is nominated for Best Performer in a Musical for his performance as ‘sweet-voiced steam train Rusty’ in the roller-skating extravaganza. Grace Hodgett Young was previously Olivier-nominated for performance as Betty Schaefer in Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard (read our Rising Star interview here), which was followed by further acclaim for her interpretation of as Eurydice in Hadestown. It’s been an extraordinary year for recent graduate Hodgett Young, who shortly makes her Broadway debut reprising her role as Betty.

Tony winner Myles Frost has received a nod for his tremendous performance as King of Pop Michael Jackson in biographical musical MJ The Musical. Laura Dawkes is also nominated for taking over as Anna in Frozen (she plays the role until the show closes on 8 September).

Performances in fringe musicals have also been recognised: Joshua Ginsberg gave a ‘likable and energetic’ performance as Sammy in Cable Street at Southwark Playhouse Borough (he reprises his role when the show returns to Southwark Playhouse Elephant next month), and Scarlett Ayers is nominated for song cycle The Verge of Forever at The Other Palace’s studio space.

For the difficult-to-categorise London Tide, which featured music by PJ Harvey, Ellie-May Sheridan is nominated for Best Performer in a Play for her scene-stealing turn as the waifish Jenny Wren.

Ellie Coote is up for Best Director for 42 Balloons at The Lowry, Salford, on which she also served as dramaturg. For the first time in the awards’ history, all three candidates in this category are women. And in the Best Designer category, Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom have been recognised for their innovative video design for Sunset Boulevard.

In the Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer category, composer Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab is nominated for The Enormous Crocodile; Nick Butcher (composer and lyricist) and Tom Ling (lyricist) for The Little Big Things; Elvis Costello for songs contributed to Cold War, and Jack Godfrey (composer, lyricist and book writer) for 42 Balloons.

The aforementioned Grace Hodgett Young (the only contender to be nominated twice), Ed Larkin (The Little Big Things) and Jack Wolfe (a Critics’ Circle Awards winner and Olivier nominee for Next to Normal) are the Musical Theatre performers in contention for Best West End Performer (the category also includes Will Close, who won an Olivier Award for his performance as Harry Kane in Dear England). This category is voted for by the public: visit www.thestage.co.uk/best-west-end-debut-2024-vote. Voting closes on 15 September.

And while Next to Normal premiered on Broadway in 2009 and won the Tony for Best Original Score and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, writers Brian Yorkey (lyricist) and Tom Kitt (composer) are nominated for the Best West End Debut Creative Debut. They are joined by co-composers and lyricists Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, whose heart-warming platonic rom-com Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) completes its run at the Criterion Theatre on 31 August.

THE FULL LIST OF 2024 NOMINEES ARE...

Best Performer in a Play (sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide):

● Deborah Ayorinde for Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White at the Lyric Hammersmith, London
● Imogen Elliott for The Voice of the Turtle at Jermyn Street Theatre, London
● Kasper Hilton-Hille for That Face at the Orange Tree Theatre, London
● Gareth John for Housemates at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
● Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Phoenix Theatre, London
● Nadia Parkes for The House Party at Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester
● Taylor Russell for The Effect at the National Theatre, London
● Ellie-May Sheridan for London Tide at the National Theatre, London

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

● Scarlett Ayers for The Verge of Forever at the Other Palace, London
● Jeevan Braich for Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London
● Laura Dawkes for Frozen at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
● Myles Frost for MJ the Musical at Prince Edward Theatre, London
● Joshua Ginsberg for Cable Street at Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
● Grace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, London

Best Director (sponsored by Arts Council England):

● Ellie Coote for 42 Balloons at the Lowry, Manchester
● Sophie Drake for The Bleeding Tree at the Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
● Emily Foran for Little Women at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Best Designer (sponsored by Preevue):

● Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video) for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, London
● Ellie Koslowsky (set) for Vegetables at A secret location, London
● Nadya Sayapina (set), Anastasiya Ryabova (costume), Lidiia Dresch-Pyshna
(costume) and Dmytro Guk (video/projection) for King Stakh's Wild Hunt at
Barbican Theatre, London
● Skylar Turnbull Hurd (lighting) for These Demons at Theatre503, London

Best Writer (sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions):

● Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre, London
● Martha Loader for Bindweed at Mercury Theatre, Colchester
● Harry McDonald for Foam at the Finborough Theatre, London
● Hannah Morley for We Could All Be Perfect at Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield
● Azuka Oforka for The Women of Llanrumney at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
● Anastasia Osei-Kuffour for Love Steps at the Omnibus Theatre, London

Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (sponsored by Crossroads Live):

● Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab for The Enormous Crocodile at Leeds Playhouse, Leeds
● Nick Butcher and Tom Ling for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace, London
● Elvis Costello for Cold War at the Almeida Theatre, London
● Jack Godfrey for 42 Balloons at the Lowry, Manchester

Best West End Debut Performer (Sponsored by Noël Coward Foundation):
● Francesca Amewudah-Rivers for Romeo and Juliet at the Duke of York's Theatre, London
● Will Close for Dear England at the National Theatre, London
● Billy Crudup for Harry Clarke at Ambassadors Theatre, London
● Grace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, London
● Toheeb Jimoh for Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre, London
● Ed Larkin for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace, London
● Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre,
London
● Jack Wolfe for Next to Normal at Wyndham's Theatre, London

Best Creative West End Debut (sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment):

● Daniel Bailey (director) for Red Pitch at @sohoplace, London
● Jim Barne and Kit Buchan (composer, lyricist) for Two Strangers (Carry a Cake
Across New York) at the Criterion Theatre, London
● Marcelo Dos Santos (writer) for Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's Theatre, London
● Kip Williams (director) for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Theatre Royal Haymarket,
London
● Brian Yorkey (lyricist) and Tom Kitt (composer) for Next to Normal at Wyndham's
Theatre, London

The Stage Debut Awards will be held on Sunday 29 September 2024 at 8 Northumberland Avenue; visit www.thestage.co.uk/debuts