UK Theatre Awards 2026 nominations announced: Adrian Lester, Hadley Fraser and Nottingham Playhouse in the running

The nominations for the UK Theatre Awards 2026 have been announced, the awards that for more than 30 years have celebrated outstanding creativity and achievement on and off stage across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The winners will be revealed at this year’s ceremony, held on Monday, October 12, at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London, hosted by La Voix. This year’s shortlist, with nominations from all four nations, shows the extraordinary range and quality of UK theatre over the past year.

In the performance categories, for Best Performance in a Play the nominees are Isis Hainsworth (Measure For Measure, a Royal Shakespeare Company production), Adrian Lester (Cyrano De Bergerac, also by the RSC) and the duo Katie Redford & Benedict Salter (Scenes From A Friendship, Nottingham Playhouse). For Best Performance in a Musical, competing are Hadley Fraser (My Fair Lady, Chichester Festival Theatre), Annette McLaughlin (Follies, Northern Ireland Opera at Belfast’s Grand Opera House) and Julianne Pundan (Miss Saigon, a Cameron Mackintosh production). For Best Supporting Performance, the nominees are Ash Hunter, Lydia Louise and Gloria Obianyo.

For Best Musical Production, Calendar Girls The Musical, The High Life, Kiss Of The Spiderwoman and Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street are in the running, while for Best New Play the nominees are Black Sheep, The Last Stand Of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse and Ava Pickett’s The Manningtree Witches. For Best Revival of a Play, Michael Sheen’s Our Town, Road and Small Island compete. For Best Director, Abigail Graham, Emma Jordan and Tom Littler are nominated.

Nottingham Playhouse leads with four nominations, followed by Theatr Clwyd with three. The «Off Stage» awards also honor arts education, inclusion, sustainability and workplace culture. Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre co-chairs Claire Walker and Hannah Essex said the nominations celebrate the «extraordinary breadth of talent, creativity and dedication» and called on the chancellor to expand theatre tax relief. The ceremony is sponsored by Encore.

Source: BroadwayWorld