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WhatsOnStage Awards

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WhatsOnStage Awards
Current: 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards
Awarded forAchievements in British theatre
VenueThe London Palladium
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byWhatsOnStage.com
First award2001
Website[1]
Television/radio coverage
NetworkBBC Radio 2 (2020–present)

The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com.[1] The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional productions and shows in London's West End.[2]

Distinctive among major theatre honours in the UK, the WhatsOnStage Awards are decided entirely by public vote. Theatre audiences nominate and select the winners, making the awards a reflection of popular opinion rather than industry panels or critics.

The ceremony is typically held each year in February or March. From 2012 to 2023, it took place at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Since 2024, the event has been hosted at The London Palladium, owned and run by Andrew Lloyd Webber.[3]

The awards are currently produced by Alex Wood and Darius Thompson (for WhatsOnStage) with co-producers Alex Parker and Damian Sandys.

History

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The origins of the WhatsOnStage Awards date back to early 2001, when WhatsOnStage invited its readers to vote online for their preferred winners of that year’s Laurence Olivier Awards. Within two weeks, over 5,000 people participated, with the public’s choices diverging significantly from those of the official Olivier judging panel. Encouraged by the strong response, the site’s editors created independent shortlists for the 2002 awards. In 2003, WhatsOnStage hosted its first launch event to announce the shortlists to an audience of approximately 200 theatre industry guests. The awards continued to evolve, and in 2008, the first full-scale concert and ceremony was introduced to formally celebrate the winners.

Since 2023, WhatsOnStage adopted more inclusive awards by replacing gender-specific categories such as "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" with the gender-neutral "Best Performer" categories, reflecting a broader commitment to inclusivity in recognising performance talent.

Judging

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Each year thousands of theatregoers submit nominations online across more than 20 award categories. The official nominations are revealed at a high-profile launch event, typically held in early December.

Public voting then opens and continues through to the end of January. During the 2012–2013 awards season, over 60,000 theatre fans participated in the voting process, with leading contenders in several categories shifting frequently as votes were cast.

Ceremony

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2016

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The 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 21 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Steve Furst.[4]

2017

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The 2017 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 19 February 2017 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Simon Lipkin and Vikki Stone.[5]

2018

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The 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 25 February 2018 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Simon Lipkin and Vikki Stone.

2019

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The 2019 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 3 March 2019 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Vicky Vox and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.[6]

2020

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The 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 1 March 2020 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson. The event was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Elaine Paige and Paddy O'Connell.

2021

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 WhatsOnStage Awards were held virtually. They did not honour creatives as they traditionally did but instead recognised 21 members of the public who had supported the theatre industry during the pandemic.[7]

2022

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The 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were held on 27 February 2022 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Jodie Prenger and Tom Read Wilson.

2023

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The 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were held on 12 February 2023 at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Courtney Bowman, Laurie Kynaston and Billy Luke Nevers.

2024

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The 2024 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were be held on 11 February 2024 at the London Palladium and were hosted by Bonnie Langford and Melanie La Barrie.[3]

2025 (The Silver Anniversary Concert)

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The 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were be held on 9 February 2025 at the London Palladium and were hosted by Gina Murray and Mazz Murray.

Presenters

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Presenters of the WhatsOnStage Awards have included James Corden, Sheridan Smith, Christopher Biggins, Mel Giedroyc, Miranda Hart, Alan Davies, Jenny Eclair, Rufus Hound, Steve Furst, Vikki Stone and Simon Lipkin.[8]

Performances

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Over the years, guest presenters and performers at the Launch Party have included Graham Norton, Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Lesley Garrett, Ryan Molloy, James Earl Jones, Jools Holland, Patina Miller, Julian Clary, Jeremy Irons, Simon Russell Beale, Bertie Carvel and Meera Syal.[8]

West End stars who have performed at the Awards Concerts at the Prince of Wales have included Alfie Boe, Sally Ann Triplett, Ryan Molloy, Jodie Prenger, Hannah Waddingham, Leanne Jones, Jill Halfpenny, Hadley Fraser, Ramin Karimloo, Rosemary Ashe, Nancy Sullivan, Samantha Barks, Sarah Lark, Kim Criswell, Siobhan McCarthy, Julie Atherton, Suranne Jones, Elena Roger, Sean Palmer, Clare Foster, Hannah Waddingham, Dean Chisnall, Brian May, Kerry Ellis, Tim Minchin, Melanie C and Sam Tutty.

Venues

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The inaugural WhatsOnStage Awards launch party was held at The Venue, before relocating to the Dominion Theatre in 2004. In 2005 and 2006, the event took place at Planet Hollywood, followed by a move to Café de Paris, where it was held annually—with the exception of 2009, when the launch was hosted at the London Hippodrome as part of a campaign to preserve the venue as a performance space.

The first full-scale awards concert and ceremony was introduced in 2008 at the 960-seat Lyric Theatre. In 2009, the event moved to the larger 1,100-seat Prince of Wales Theatre, where it sold out for four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012. The 2013 ceremony was held at the Palace Theatre, but the event returned to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2014. Since 2024, the WhatsOnStage Awards have been staged at The London Palladium.

Current Award Categories

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Defunct categories

Recent winners

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Past winners[21]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Home". WOS Awards. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. ^ David Lister (19 March 2001). "Theatregoers rage at stars who fail to light up stage". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 December 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
  3. ^ a b Staff Writer (9 November 2023). "24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards to be Hosted at the London Palladium". Theatre Weekly. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicole Kidman, and Judi Dench Take Home 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards". 21 February 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Watch highlights from the 17th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". 19 February 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  6. ^ Snow, Georgia (3 March 2019). "WhatsOnStage Awards 2019: the winners in full". The Stage. Retrieved 17 June 2019 – via www.thestage.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Winners Announced of WhatsOnStage Awards 2021". 15 March 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Whatsonstage Awards History". Whatsonstage.com, accessed 19 November 2013
  9. ^ "Hairspray and Equus sweep theatre awards". The Guardian. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Donmar and Jersey Boys Dominate Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Official London Theatre. 15 February 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Rachel Weisz and Jude Law win at Whatsonstage Awards". The Stage. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Winners 2011". West End Theatre. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Full List Of 2012 Whatsonstage.com Award-Winners". Broadway World. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Sweeney Todd, Sheridan Smith And Stephen Fry Big Winners At Whatsonstage.com Awards". Huffington Post. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  15. ^ "Full List: Winners of the 2014 WhatsOnStage Awards". whatsonstage.com. 23 February 2014.
  16. ^ "Miss Saigon dominates WhatsOnStage awards". BBC. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet takes quartet at WhatsOnStage awards". theguardian.com. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Billie Piper and Jamie Parker win top prizes at WhatsOnStage Awards". The Stage. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  19. ^ "WhatsOnStage Awards 2018: Winners in full". The Stage. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Eddie Redmayne and Lily Allen win WhatsOnStage theatre awards". BBC News Online. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Archive". Retrieved 11 December 2015.
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