The Stage Debut Awards 2024: meet our winners
Meet our 2024 winners, photographed by Roy J Baron
Ellie-May Sheridan
Best Performer in a Play
"My mum had said: ‘What if you win?’ So I just wrote a speech quickly on the train. Those other people in my category... it’s unbelievable. It’s a really nice surprise. Everyone starts somewhere, so it’s good to pinpoint people on day one with these awards.
Debut production: London Tide at National Theatre, London
Why they won: Sheridan gave a scene-stealing performance as the sparky, sharp-minded Londoner and resourceful survivor Jenny Wren in Ben Power’s reworking of Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend.
Agent: Hamilton Hodell
Louis McCartney
Best Performer in a Play
"It was surreal walking up that stage. It was so nice to see the support among my fellow nominees – all the fresh faces in the industry. Obviously, it’s the first play that I’m doing. I just feel incredibly lucky right now. Part of me was like: ‘I don’t know why I put myself out there.’ You sort of think with awards, that one person wins it all – but it’s so nice that they’ve been able to award two people from this category and it’s so special it’s with Ellie-May."
Debut production: Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Phoenix Theatre, London
Why they won: Led this hugely technical West End show with a menacingly mercurial performance as Henry in the stage version of the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix hit.
Training: Bow Street Academy, Dublin
Agent: Independent Talent
Jeevan Braich
Best Performer in a Musical
"I don’t have the words. I’m very shocked and very grateful. I didn’t have a speech; I looked like a right weirdo! I went on stage and I know it’s so annoying when someone who’s nominated doesn’t have a speech, but hey – it’s fine, I winged it. The arts, theatre, the creative industry – they’re so much on the same level as other academic subjects. They really make us what we are."
Debut production: Starlight Express, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London
Why they won: A beguiling and technically impressive performance in the lead role of Rusty, which showcased both Braich’s vocal prowess and his roller-skating skills.
Training: The Royal Birmingham Junior Conservatoire
Agent: United Agents
Grace Hodgett Young
Best Performer in a Musical
"It means the world that I was even nominated. Among all the amazingly talented people that were nominated, and all the equally amazing ones that weren't, I thank you for recognising me in tonight's ceremony – and a special shout-out to our amazing creative team who took a chance on the new kid."
Debut production: Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre, London
Why they won: In a hugely impressive debut, Young toughened up the role of ingénue and tyro screenwriter Betty Schaefer, giving the character a determined and ambitious edge in Jamie Lloyd's hit revival.
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Agent: Jonathan Arun Group
Sophie Drake
Best Director
"I'm really shocked and excited. It feels amazing. When you're trying to start out in the industry, you kind of feel like you can exist in a bit of a vacuum. It's really exciting to be among other women in this category – to see that change in the industry feels great."
Debut production: The Bleeding Tree, Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
Why they won: Drake infused finesse into all aspects of this dark, grisly anti-fairytale, conjuring the atmosphere of its Australian outback setting.
Agent: Scott Marshall Partners
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video design)
Best Designer
(Amzi, accepting on behalf of the pair): "I didn't see it coming; I was sat right at the back, so I sprinted down to the front. We had no idea, and we're both astounded. There's no way that theatre can continue without the support that young artists get on the way up. It's so hard to make your way into this industry, so to have a chance, like the chance Jamie Lloyd gave us, is just amazing."
Debut production: Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, London
Why they won: Amzi and Ransom's black-and-white video design – including an audacious street-level rendition of the title number – was intrinsic to Lloyd's reimagining of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic.
Agent: Curtis Brown (both)
Azuka Oforka
Best Writer
"It was such a strong category; just to be nominated is such an honour. It's not sunk in yet. I believed in my play, but we're all really good writers, so you can't guarantee a win. Like I said in my speech, the commission – to be able to afford to sit in front of your computer and have time to write – is a game changer."
Debut production: The Women of Llanrumney, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Why they won: A scorchingly bold and ambitious debut play that depicted life on a Jamaican sugar plantation told from the perspectives of the women who live and work there.
Agent: Independent Talent
Sam Grabiner
Best Writer
"It feels amazing. I didn't see it coming at all. It's so lovely to have two writers win. There's so much good work out there that awards feel absurd sometimes, so the fact that there's two winners this year is double as good."
Debut production: Boys on the Verge of Tears, Soho Theatre, London
Why they won: Grabiner's Verity Bargate award-winning play was an episodic and engrossing exploration of masculinity set in a public toilet.
Agent: Independent Talent
Jack Godfrey
Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer
"This is my first time going to an award ceremony. You're not trying not to get your hopes up or anything, but I honestly was hoping that I would win and it's just so nice to have the recognition after all the hard work. It takes a lot to put on these shows and a lot of that work is kind of done in the secrecy of my bedroom and at the keyboard. So it's nice to be here."
Debut production: 42 Balloons, The Lowry, Salford
Why they won: Godfrey's funny, touching show, for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics, featured synth-heavy, 1980s-inspired bops and transformed a remarkable true story into a charming stage musical.
Agent: Curtis Brown
Jack Wolfe
Best West End Debut Performer
"I think I've just caught my breath. That was quite a couple of minutes. I can't really believe that happened, but I'm very, very grateful. I'm over the moon. Next to Normal was just the most empowering, special experience, with so many special people, and I'm a huge fan of so many people who were nominated with me. I'm very grateful just to be in that room with them. This is wild."
Debut production: Next to Normal, Wyndham’s Theatre
Why they won: An enormously compelling, vocally accomplished performance in the demanding role of Gabe.
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Agent: Independent Talent
Daniel Bailey
Best Creative West End Debut
"I wanted to win this for all the people who contributed to Red Pitch, who have been a part of it, who might not have been recognised. It was nice for me to be recognised and be able to say their names. I don't win anything; I don't get nominated for anything. To be nominated for this show that I love doing, it was a massive surprise – but I appreciate everything."
Debut production: Red Pitch, @ sohoplace
Why they won: The director transferred Tyrell Williams' debut play from the Bush to the West End with sensitivity and dynamism, making galvanising use of @ sohoplace’s in-the-round auditorium.
Role: Director
Training: Brunel University
Agent: Casarotto Ramsay & Associates
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