UK Theatre Awards 2026 winners: Adrian Lester, Julianne Pundan and Gloria Obianyo

Adrian Lester, Julianne Pundan and Gloria Obianyo have won the acting prizes at the UK Theatre Awards 2026, with Lester honoured for Cyrano De Bergerac, Pundan for Miss Saigon and Obianyo for As You Like It. Jodie Comer received the Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre Award, and Theatr Clwyd was the most awarded venue of the night with 2 wins.

The ceremony, sponsored by Encore and hosted by La Voix, took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London. For over 30 years the awards have celebrated work on and off stage across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Who won the UK Theatre Awards 2026?

The big winners included Birmingham Rep’s Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street for Best Musical Production, The Last Stand Of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse for Best New Play and Our Town for Best Play Revival, while Theatr Clwyd took 2 awards. The full list of winners is further down this page.

Who won the acting awards?

Adrian Lester won Best Performance in a Play for the title role in the RSC's version of Edmond Rostand's romance. He beat Isis Hainsworth, nominated for Measure For Measure, and Katie Redford and Benedict Salter, nominated together for Scenes From A Friendship.

Julianne Pundan won Best Performance in a Musical for Miss Saigon, a Cameron Mackintosh production in association with Michael Harrison. Her fellow nominees were Hadley Fraser for My Fair Lady at Chichester Festival Theatre and Annette McLaughlin for Follies, a Northern Ireland Opera production at the Grand Opera House, Belfast.

Gloria Obianyo took Best Supporting Performance (in a Musical or Play) for As You Like It, part of the Ralph Fiennes season at Theatre Royal Bath. The other nominees in that category were Ash Hunter for The Meat Kings! (Inc.) Of Brooklyn Heights and Lydia Louise for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Watermill Theatre.

Miss Saigon returns to the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre from 13 May 2027.

Why was Jodie Comer honoured?

Jodie Comer received the inaugural Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre Award for her work on the UK tour of Prima Facie. The award had been announced before the ceremony.

The Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award was presented posthumously to the late Alan Finch CBE. His family collected it in his honour, in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the industry both regionally and nationally.

Which venue won the most awards?

Theatr Clwyd was this year’s most awarded venue, winning UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre and Excellence in Touring for Under Milk Wood. It was also nominated for Excellence in Sustainability.

There was more success for Wales in Best Play Revival. Our Town, a co-production between Rose Theatre and Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre, took the prize ahead of Road at the Royal Exchange Theatre and Small Island.

Other venues recognised off stage were Buxton Opera House, The Theatre Chipping Norton, Mercury Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre.

What did the organisers say?

Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, co-chief executives of Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, said:

“This year’s UK Theatre Awards were a wonderful celebration of the creativity, talent, and dedication found across our industry.”

They added their congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees.

What is the full list of winners?

Here are the winners in every category of the UK Theatre Awards 2026:

• Best Musical Production: Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, a Birmingham Rep production
• Best New Play: The Last Stand Of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, a Nottingham Playhouse, Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Kate Pakenham Productions co-production
• Best Play Revival: Our Town, a Rose Theatre and Welsh National Theatre co-production
• Best Director: Tom Littler for Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, a Guildford Shakespeare Company and Orange Tree Theatre co-production
• Best Performance in a Musical: Julianne Pundan for Miss Saigon
• Best Performance in a Play: Adrian Lester for Cyrano De Bergerac
• Best Supporting Performance (in a Musical or Play): Gloria Obianyo for As You Like It
• Best Design: Ceci Calf (Set and Costume Design) for The Assassination Of Margaret Thatcher, a Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse production
• Best Show for Children and Young People: Beauty And The Beast, a Citizens Theatre production
• Achievement in Dance: Yorke Dance Project for Modern Milestones
• Achievement in Opera: English Touring Opera, for the ambition and breadth of its programming in venues across the country
• Excellence in Arts Education: Connecting For Creativity, Buxton Opera House
• Excellence in Touring: Under Milk Wood, Theatr Clwyd
• Excellence in Inclusivity: The Theatre Chipping Norton
• Excellence in Sustainability: Mercury Theatre
• Excellence in Workforce Culture: Blackpool Grand Theatre
• UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre: Theatr Clwyd
• Outstanding Achievement in British Theatre: Jodie Comer
• Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre: Alan Finch CBE

Which other shows were nominated?

Nominated for Best Musical Production alongside the winner were Calendar Girls The Musical, The High Life The Musical: Still Living It! and Kiss Of The Spider Woman. Black Sheep and The Manningtree Witches were in the running for Best New Play, while Abigail Graham (Living) and Emma Jordan (The Human Voice) were nominated for Best Director.

In children’s theatre, No Such Thing As Wolves and Treasure Island were nominated alongside the winner. Scottish Ballet and National Dance Company Wales were up for Achievement in Dance, and Scottish Opera and Jack Furness, for The Flying Dutchman, were up for Achievement in Opera.

Header image: official artwork.