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At a ceremony at the National Theatre today, the Critics’ Circle announced the winners of the 2026 Theatre Awards, sponsored by Finito. These are the only prizes to be entirely voted for by the professional theatre critics who are members of the Circle.
Both Ivo van Hove’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons and Jordan Fein’s production of Sondheim’s Into the Woods received two awards each. Van Hove won the award for Best Director, with the production also receiving Best Revival of a Play or Musical. Into the Woods won the inaugural award for Best Ensemble or Cast, with Tom Scutt taking Best Designer.
Paddington The Musical with music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and book by Jessica Swale, currently running at the Savoy Theatre, won Best New Musical; with James Graham’s Punch awarded Best New Play; and Ava Pickett Most Promising Playwright for 1536 which will shortly transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End.
Completing the acting categories, Rosamund Pike won for her acclaimed performance in Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia – which is currently in previews at the Wyndham’s Theatre having transferred from the National Theatre; with Brendan Gleeson receiving the Best Actor award for his West End debut performance in The Weir, which has recently been adapted by playwright Conor Macpherson into a film with Gleeson reprising his much celebrated performance. The Most Promising Newcomer Award went to Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis for Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink at Hampstead Theatre.
2026 Chair of the Critics’ Circle Drama Section, Mark Lawson said today, “In the first year that our members voted from long lists and shortlists – an attempt to extend the range of work considered – around 250 candidates were considered across the process, of which 179 received at least one vote. These came down to the 11 winners honoured today. Some categories were won by a landslide, but others were tight five-or six-way contests eventually decided after a recount, suggesting strong quality among the quantity. Overall – and with the winner of the Empty Space…Peter Brook Award, decided by a separate panel – they show an exhilarating range of work across a vast variety of venues and genres – all achieved in challenging economic times. It is particularly pleasing that the array of talents in the Most Promising Playwright and Best Newcomer categories indicate that the current high quality of theatre here is guaranteed to continue.”
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 earlier this year 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 Award was given to Red Rose Chain, Ipswich.
2026 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards Winners:
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 (Savoy Theatre)
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) and 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)
Photo Credit: Johan Persson
