Winners announced at UK THEATRE AWARDS 2026 sponsored by Encore
Photo credit: Mark Carline
The winners of the UK Theatre Awards 2026 sponsored by Encore have been announced today at a ceremony hosted by La Voix, which took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue.
For over 30 years, this annual event has celebrated the creative excellence and outstanding achievements seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Full list of winners and nominees for the UK Theatre Awards 2026 sponsored by Encore:
Best Musical Production sponsored by Tysers Live
WINNER: Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, a Birmingham Rep production
NOMINATED:
Calendar Girls The Musical, a Stephen Joseph Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, New Wolsey Theatre & Octagon Theatre Bolton co-production
The High Life – The Musical: Still Living It!, a National Theatre of Scotland & Dundee Rep Theatre co-production in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres
Kiss Of The Spider Woman, a Curve, Bristol Old Vic & Mayflower Southampton co-production
Best New Play sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance
WINNER: The Last Stand Of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, a Nottingham Playhouse, Eleanor Lloyd Productions & Kate Pakenham Productions co-production
NOMINATED:
Black Sheep, a curious directive production at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds & New Wolsey Theatre
The Manningtree Witches, a Mercury Original in association with Frantic Assembly, supported by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions and Mark Gordon Pictures
Best Play Revival
WINNER: Our Town, a Rose Theatre & Welsh National Theatre co-production
NOMINATED:
Road, a Royal Exchange Theatre production
Small Island, a Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep & Nottingham Playhouse co-production in association with Actors Touring Company
Best Director
WINNER: Tom Littler for Love’s Labour’s Lost & Much Ado About Nothing, a Guildford Shakespeare Company & Orange Tree Theatre co-production
NOMINATED:
Abigail Graham for Living, a Sheffield Theatres production
Emma Jordan for The Human Voice, a Prime Cut Productions production at Lyric Theatre Belfast
Best Performance in a Musical
WINNER: Julianne Pundan for Miss Saigon, a Cameron Mackintosh production in association with Michael Harrison
NOMINATED:
Hadley Fraser for My Fair Lady, a Chichester Festival Theatre production
Annette McLaughlin for Follies, a Northern Ireland Opera production at Grand Opera House, Belfast
Best Performance in a Play
WINNER: Adrian Lester for Cyrano De Bergerac, a Royal Shakespeare Company production
NOMINATED:
Isis Hainsworth for Measure For Measure, a Royal Shakespeare Company production
Katie Redford & Benedict Salter for Scenes From A Friendship, a Nottingham Playhouse production
Best Supporting Performance (in a Musical or Play)
WINNER: Gloria Obianyo for As You Like It, as part of the Ralph Fiennes / Theatre Royal Bath season
NOMINATED:
Ash Hunter for The Meat Kings! (Inc.) Of Brooklyn Heights, a Papatango Theatre Company & Park Theatre co-production
Lydia Louise for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a Watermill Theatre production
Best Design
WINNER: Ceci Calf (Set & Costume Design) for The Assassination Of Margaret Thatcher, a Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse production
NOMINATED:
Jenny Booth (Set & Costume Design), Garry Boyle (Sound Design), Daniel Hughes (Creative Captioning) & Emma Jones (Lighting Design) for The Singer, a Dundee Rep Theatre & Solar Bear co-production in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts
Terry Parsons (Set Design) for Jack And Sarah, a The Mill at Sonning production
Best Show for Children & Young People
WINNER: Beauty And The Beast, a Citizens Theatre production
NOMINATED:
No Such Thing As Wolves, a Birmingham Hippodrome production
Treasure Island, a Bristol Old Vic production
Achievement in Dance
WINNER: Yorke Dance Project for Modern Milestones
NOMINATED:
National Dance Company Wales for Surge | Gwefr
Scottish Ballet for Mary, Queen of Scots
Achievement in Opera
WINNER: English Touring Opera for the ambition and breadth of their programming in venues across the country
NOMINATED:
Jack Furness for his direction of The Flying Dutchman by Welsh National Opera
Scottish Opera for their commitment to championing new work through their productions of The Galloping Cure and The Great Wave
Excellence in Arts Education
WINNER: Connecting For Creativity, Buxton Opera House
NOMINATED:
Shine, Curve and the Randal Foundation
Talking Tales, Polka Theatre
Excellence in Touring sponsored by Theatre Tokens
WINNER: Under Milk Wood, Theatr Clwyd
NOMINATED:
Caroline: A New Musical, East Anglian Touring Consortium
Gentleman Jack, Northern Ballet
Excellence in Inclusivity
WINNER: The Theatre Chipping Norton
NOMINATED:
National Youth Theatre
The Welcome Project, Northern Stage
Excellence in Sustainability
WINNER: Mercury Theatre
NOMINATED:
The Old Vic, Backstage
Theatr Clwyd
Excellence in Workforce Culture
WINNER: Blackpool Grand Theatre
NOMINATED:
Swindon Theatres
Wales Millennium Centre
UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre sponsored by Encore
WINNER: Theatr Clwyd
NOMINATED:
Nottingham Playhouse
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre
Jodie Comer
Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre
Alan Finch CBE
Co-CEOs of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre, Claire Walker & Hannah Essex, said: “This year’s UK Theatre Awards were a wonderful celebration of the creativity, talent, and dedication found across our industry. From outstanding productions and performances to the vital work happening behind the scenes in venues around the country, it’s fantastic to see such a diverse range of work recognised and celebrated.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees, whose achievements demonstrate the extraordinary contribution theatre makes to audiences and communities across the UK. Our thanks also go to our sponsors and partners for their continued support.”