The Stage Debut Awards recognition helps lighten the load

I’ll not lie – the middle of a national period of mourning was not the most straightforward of times to stage an awards ceremony. Nor was the location – a few hundred yards from ‘The Queue’ and within the police cordon for the state funeral – one that we would have chosen if we’d known the circumstances in advance.

Indeed, there was a moment on the eve of The Stage Debut Awards when we found ourselves wondering whether it would be possible to carry a baby grand piano across the centre of London, after we discovered plans to shut down the road on which our venue was located.

In the end, though, we needn’t have worried. Everyone and everything – even the piano – found its way to 8 Northumberland Avenue and The Stage Debut Awards wove their unique magic.

The subdued public mood felt a long way away as we all gathered to celebrate the future of theatre, a future that on the evidence of the evening looks extraordinarily bright.

Sometimes, trying to sustain a career in theatre can feel impossible – like lugging a baby grand piano across the streets of the West End

The Debut Awards is one of my favourite nights of the year. It shows the theatre industry in its very best light. The atmosphere within the room is one of unbridled enthusiasm, passion and a complete absence of cynicism – not something that can always be said of awards ceremonies.

Nominees are excited to be attending their first such event, often with their mothers in tow, and the more established industry folk who come along to support them are reminded of their own excitement when they first started out. It is a tonic for the soul and a timely prompt of what is really special about the theatre sector.

We also had a group of wonderful winners and some great speeches. No one who was there will forget the emotional acceptance speech from the six-strong ensemble of For Black Boys... that ended the evening and was greeted with a standing ovation. I won’t ruin it by saying any more: it’s worth watching the full speech here.

But my personal favourite moment of the evening happened away from the cameras.

A number of our winners from previous Debut Awards were in attendance at this year’s ceremony and, catching up with one of them at the end of the night, I asked them how things had been since their win. 

“It’s hard to say precisely what impact the award had,” they said. “But things were really hard before I won. And now they are easier.”

And, for me, that is what The Stage Debut Awards are all about.

Sometimes, trying to sustain a career in theatre can feel impossible – like lugging a baby grand piano across the streets of the West End.

I very much hope that the recognition that these awards bring for nominees and winners alike can make that load feel just a little bit lighter.