The nominees for the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards have been announced.

The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards in which the audience are the judges.

All professional productions that began between December 2018 and November 2019 are eligible in 21 of the 25 categories, with four exceptions – Best Regional Production, Best Off-West End Production, the Equity Award and the Best West End Show category, which will be rebranded for this year's ceremony, with more details being announced imminently.

This year, the nominees for the nine creative categories (Choreography, Costume Design, Direction, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, Musical Direction, Set Design, Sound Design and Video Design) have been decided by an independent panel of industry experts appointed by WhatsOnStage. Their shortlist will then be voted on by the general public.

In the acting categories, the Best Actor in a Play Award sees previously nominated Andrew Scott, alongside Matt Smith, Wendell Pierce and Laurie Kynaston, up against 2015 award winner Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston's co-stars Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox were also nominated for their performances in Jamie Lloyd's Betrayal in the West End, with Ashton facing off against Claire Foy, Hayley Atwell, Sharon D Clarke and Juliet Stevenson in the Best Actress Category.

The musical categories were dominated by & Juliet (13 nominations), while Jamie Lloyd's production of Evita at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre was nominated for eight. Both new musical Waitress and the Hope Mill Theatre's revival of Mame were nominated for seven.

The Old Vic received 13 nominations, the most of any producing house, with its production of Present Laughter receiving eight nominations. Nominees were recognised from all over the country – with shows in Manchester, London, Leicester, Sheffield and on tour featuring in the list of nominees.

Voting closes on 27 January 2020, with the winners being revealed at a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 1 March 2020.

Details about replacements for the Best West End Show category will be revealed soon.





The full list of nominees:

Best Actor in a Play, sponsored by Edwardian Hotels

Tom Hiddleston – Betrayal – Harold Pinter Theatre

Andrew Scott – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Matt Smith – Lungs – The Old Vic

Wendell Pierce – Death of a Salesman – Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre

Laurie Kynaston – The Son – Kiln Theatre / Duke of York's Theatre

Best Actress in a Play, sponsored by Tonic Theatre

Claire Foy – Lungs – The Old Vic

Zawe Ashton – Betrayal – Harold Pinter Theatre

Hayley Atwell – Rosmersholm – Duke of York's Theatre

Sharon D Clarke – Death of a Salesman – Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre

Juliet Stevenson – The Doctor – Almeida Theatre

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

Alexander Vlahos – Peter Pan – Park Theatre

Charlie Cox – Betrayal – Harold Pinter Theatre

Hareet Deol – My Beautiful Laundrette – A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production

Hammed Animashaun – A Midsummer Night's Dream – Bridge Theatre

Giles Terera – Rosmersholm – Duke of York's Theatre

Best Supporting Actress in a Play

Ria Zmitrowicz – The Doctor – Almeida Theatre

Isabella Pappas – Appropriate – Donmar Warehouse

Monica Dolan – All About Eve – Noël Coward Theatre

Sophie Thompson – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Indira Varma – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Best Actor in a Musical, sponsored by Dewynters

David Hunter – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Sam Tutty – Dear Evan Hansen – Noël Coward Theatre

Jac Yarrow – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – The London Palladium

Oliver Tompsett – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Charlie Stemp – Mary Poppins – Prince Edward Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Café de Paris

Lucie Jones – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Katharine McPhee – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Miriam-Teak Lee – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Tracie Bennett – Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

Zizi Strallen – Mary Poppins – Prince Edward Theatre

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Joe Sugg – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Jack Loxton – Dear Evan Hansen – Noël Coward Theatre

Jordan Luke Gage – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Oscar Conlon-Morrey – Only Fools and Horses the Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Jason Donovan – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – The London Palladium

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, sponsored by Newman Displays

Laura Baldwin – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Marisha Wallace – Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

Cassidy Janson – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Melanie La Barrie – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Rachel Tucker – Come From Away – Phoenix Theatre

Best New Play, sponsored by Ticketmaster

The Doctor – Robert Icke – Almeida Theatre

The Son – Florian Zeller – Kiln Theatre / Duke of York's Theatre

My Beautiful Laundrette – Hanif Kureishi – A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production

Life of Pi – Lolita Chakrabarti – Sheffield Theatres

Appropriate – Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – Donmar Warehouse

Best Play Revival, sponsored by JHI Marketing

Betrayal – Harold Pinter Theatre

Death of a Salesman – Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre

Present Laughter – The Old Vic

A Midsummer Night's Dream – Bridge Theatre

Lungs – The Old Vic

Best New Musical, sponsored by h Club London

Waitress – Adelphi Theatre

& Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Dear Evan Hansen – Noël Coward Theatre

Come From Away – Phoenix Theatre

Only Fools and Horses the Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Musical Revival, sponsored by Concord Theatricals

Mary Poppins – Prince Edward Theatre

Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – The London Palladium

Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

9 to 5 the Musical – Savoy Theatre

Best Off-West End Production, sponsored by Les Misérables

Fiver – Southwark Playhouse

The View UpStairs – Soho Theatre

High Fidelity – The Turbine Theatre

Preludes – Southwark Playhouse

Falsettos – The Other Palace

Best Regional Production, sponsored by MTI Europe

Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

The Color Purple – A Curve Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome co-production

Life of Pi – Sheffield Theatres

My Beautiful Laundrette – A Curve Leicester, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse co-production

West Side Story – Royal Exchange, Manchester

Best Choreography

Fabian Aloise – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Matthew Bourne – Romeo and Juliet – UK tour

Kelly Devine – Come From Away – Phoenix Theatre

Jennifer Weber – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Nick Winston – Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

Best Costume Design

Lez Brotherston – Romeo and Juliet – UK tour

Katrina Lindsay – Small Island – National Theatre

Rob Howell – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Philip Witcomb – Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

Paloma Young – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Best Direction, sponsored by LOVEtheatre

Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell – Death of a Salesman – Young Vic / Piccadilly Theatre

Robert Icke – The Doctor – Almeida Theatre

Jamie Lloyd – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Matthew Warchus – Lungs – The Old Vic

Matthew Warchus – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Best Graphic Direction, sponsored by Hexagon Print

& Juliet – Dewynters

Captain Corelli's Mandolin – Muse Creative Communications

Equus – Feast Creative

Evita – Feast Creative

Rosmersholm – Bob King Creative

Best Lighting Design, sponsored by White Light

Jon Clark – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Ben Cracknell – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – The London Palladium

Howard Hudson – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Jessica Hung Han Yun – Equus – UK tour

Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Best Musical Direction, sponsored by AKA

Ian Eisendrath, Alan Berry and team – Come From Away – Phoenix Theatre

Kimberly Grigsby – The Light in the Piazza – Southbank Centre

Alex Parker – Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

John Rigby – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – The London Palladium

Alan Williams – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Best Set Design, sponsored by Sine Digital

Soutra Gilmour – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Soutra Gilmour – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Rob Howell – Present Laughter – The Old Vic

Robert Jones – The Light in the Piazza – Southbank Centre

Rae Smith – The Night of the Iguana – Noël Coward Theatre

Best Sound Design, sponsored by Stage Sound Services

Ben Harrison – Mame – Hope Mill Theatre

Nick Lidster – Evita – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Gareth Owen – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

Gareth Owen – Come From Away – Phoenix Theatre

Mick Potter – The Light in the Piazza – Southbank Centre

Best Video Design, sponsored by PRG

Jon Driscoll – Small Island – National Theatre

Will Duke – Grief is the Thing With Feathers – Barbican Theatre

Andrzej Goulding – & Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre

P J McEvoy – Falsettos – The Other Palace

Ewan Jones Morris – A Very Expensive Poison – The Old Vic