The Critics’ Circle today announces the nominations for the 2026 Theatre Awards, sponsored by Finito. This is the first time in the awards’ 37 year history that members have voted for longlists and shortlists. These are the only prizes to be entirely voted for by the professional theatre critics who are members of the Circle. The winners will be revealed in a ceremony at the National Theatre on 26 March.
Leading the competition with five nominations each are Ivo van Hove’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons currently running at the Wyndham’s Theatre (Best Revival, Best Actor nominations for Bryan Cranston and Paapa Essiedu, Best Actress for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Best Director for van Hove), and two musical revivals – Jordan Fein’s production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods currently running at Bridge Theatre (Best Revival, Best Actress for Kate Fleetwood, Best Director for Fein, Best Designer for Tom Scott and Best Ensemble or Cast), and Jamie Lloyd’s production of Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice which ran at The London Palladium last summer (Best Revival, Best Director for Lloyd, Best Actress for Rachel Zegler, Best Designer for Soutra Gilmour and Best Newcomer for Diego Andres Rodriguez).
They are followed by Paddington The Musical, Stereophonic, and Much Ado About Nothing, all with four nominations each.
The National Theatre has eleven nominations across five productions – Inter Alia, Hamlet, The Estate, Here We Are and The Land of the Living.
2026 Chair of the Critics’ Circle Drama Section,Mark Lawson said today, “Our first experiment with longlists and shortlists was intended to increase the range of talent under consideration. I’m confident that has happened with 179 candidates in play across the whole voting process – at venues from huge to minuscule – resulting in excitingly diverse shortlists. Emerging talent is especially well represented with a significant number of contenders for both Most Promising Playwright and Best Newcomer recognised for their professional theatre debuts. A new category for Best Cast or Ensemble aims to reflect that, while star and lead performances matter and thrill audiences, many great shows also rely on exhilarating teamwork.”
This is the fourth year of the acclaimed Empty Space…Peter Brook Award being part of the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Founded by Blanche Marvin MBE, who died last month just short of her 101st birthday, the award recognises a theatre that embodies the spirit of Peter Brook, both in its use of space and in relationship to its locality. Blanche’s daughter, Niki Marvin, an Oscar-nominated director/producer, has taken over the running of the award. From this year, the award has been renamed The Empty Space…Peter Brook Award (In Memory of Blanche Marvin), Sponsored by Nica
Burns. Decided by a separate panel of critics chosen by the Marvin family, the 2026 shortlist for this prize will be announced next week.
The Awards are made possible through the generous support and encouragement of Finito. “After a long-standing support of The Jack Tinker Award for Best Newcomer, we are delighted to become the main sponsor of the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards” said Ronel Lehmann, Chief Executive, Finito.
Other individual awards are sponsored by 5RB, NLP and Nica Burns. The awards are also generously supported by Nick Hern Books and by an anonymous philanthropic donation. We also gratefully acknowledge the participation of the Trewin Family who created the Best Shakespearean Performance Award.
Twitter: @cctheatreuk
Instagram: @criticscircletheatreuk
THE NOMINATIONS IN FULL:
THE MICHAEL BILLINGTON AWARD FOR BEST NEW PLAY
David Adjmi – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Alice Birch – Romans A Novel (Almeida Theatre)
Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian – Kenrex (The Other Palace)
James Graham – Punch (from a book by Jacob Dunne) (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre)
David Ireland – The Fifth Step (@sohoplace)
Suzie Miller – Inter Alia (National Theatre)
Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson – Kyoto (@sohoplace)
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY OR MUSICAL
All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
Brigadoon (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park)
Evita (London Palladium)
Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
Indian Ink (Hampstead Theatre)
The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
THE PETER HEPPLE AWARD FOR BEST NEW MUSICAL
Cable Street (Southwark Playhouse)
Here We Are (National Theatre)
Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre)
Shucked (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park)
Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith)
Titanique (Criterion Theatre)
THE 5RB AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Daniel Aukin – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Jordan Fein – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
Lynette Linton – Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
Jamie Lloyd – Evita (London Palladium) and Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
Luke Sheppard – Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre)
Ivo Van Hove – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
BEST ENSEMBLE OR CAST
1536 (Almeida Theatre)
Here We Are (National Theatre)
Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
Stereophonic (Duke of York’s Theatre)
The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
When We Are Married (Donmar Warehouse)
MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT
Jamie Armitage – A Ghost in Your Ear (Hampstead Theatre) and An Interrogation (Hampstead Theatre)
Sophia Chetin-Leuner – Porn Play (Royal Court)
Hannah Doran – The Meat Kings! (Inc) of Brooklyn Heights (Park Theatre)
Sophia Griffin – After Sunday (Bush Theatre)
Katherine Moar – Ragdoll (Jermyn Street Theatre)
Ava Pickett – 1536 (Almeida Theatre)
Shaan Sahota – The Estate (National Theatre)
BEST ACTOR
Adeel Akhtar – The Estate (National Theatre)
Bryan Cranston – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
Paapa Essiedu – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatre)
Brendan Gleeson – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
Sean Hayes – Goodnight, Oscar (Barbican Theatre)
James Hameed & Arti Shah – Paddington (London Palladium)
David Shields – Punch (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre)
THE NLP AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Kate Fleetwood – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
Julie Hesmondhalgh – Punch (Young Vic / Apollo Theatre)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – All My Sons (Wyndham’s Theatr
Rosamund Pike – Inter Alia (National Theatre)
Nicola Walker – The Unbelievers (Royal Court)
Samira Wiley – Intimate Apparel (Donmar Warehouse)
Rachel Zegler – Evita (The London Palladium)
BEST DESIGNER
Miriam Buether – Kyoto (@sohoplace)
The Land of the Living (National Theatre)
Lizzie Clachan – The Lady From The Sea (The Bridge)
Soutra Gilmour – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Evita (The London Palladium)
Tom Pye – Paddington The Musical (Savoy Theatre)
Tom Scutt – Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre)
David Zinn – Stereophonic (Duke of York’s) and Here We Are (National Theatre)
THE TREWIN AWARD FOR BEST SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMANCE
Hayley Atwell – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
Jonathan Bailey – Richard II (Bridge Theatre)
David Harewood – Othello (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Tom Hiddleston – Much Ado About Nothing (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
Francesca Mills – Hamlet (National Theatre)
Samuel West – Twelfth Night (Barbican)
THE JACK TINKER AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER (SPONSORED BY FINITO)
Isobel Akuwudike – The Lady From The Sea (The Bridge)
Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis – Indian Ink (Hampstead Theatre)
Asa Butterfield – Second Best (Riverside Studios)
Kate Phillips – The Weir (Harold Pinter Theatre)
Diego Andres Rodriguez – Evita (The London Palladium)
Jasper Talbot – Inter Alia (National Theatre)
Artie Wilkinson-Hunt – The Land of the Living (National Theatre)
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