ritish actress and Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has picked up the perfect West End debut prize at The Stage Debut Awards 2023.
The awards goal to spotlight breakthrough actors, writers, administrators, designers, composers or lyricists within the trade and the occasion was held at a venue in London on Sunday with host and drag queen Divina de Campo.
Former EastEnders star Ayling-Ellis, 28, gained for her efficiency in As You Like It at Soho Place – her first West Finish play.
The stage and TV star fought off competitors from a shortlist that included Regular Folks’s Paul Mescal for A Streetcar Named Want, Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto for Greatest Of Enemies and Orange Is The New Black actress Samira Wiley for Blues For An Alabama Sky.
Earlier within the yr Ayling-Ellis had been nominated for an Olivier Award for her position within the Shakespearean romantic comedy.
She was additionally the primary deaf contestant to win BBC One dance present Strictly when she {and professional} dancer Giovanni Pernice picked up the Glitterball Trophy in 2021.
This yr there have been 10 winners at The Stage Debut Awards and one of many classes had joint winners in Isobel Thom, for Shakespeare’s Globe’s I, Joan, and Elan Davies for Imrie on the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.
The pair gained for greatest performer in a play and the latter marked the primary win at The Stage Debut Awards for a performer in a Welsh-language manufacturing.
The most effective artistic West Finish debut award was shared between two winners – Rob Madge for writing the West Finish present My Son’s A Queer (However What Can You Do?) on the Garrick Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre, and Tingying Dong for her sound design that created an eerie environment for The Crucible at The Nationwide Theatre and Gielgud Theatre.
Jessica Lee took house greatest performer in a musical for Miss Saigon on the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and Anoushka Lucas was honoured for greatest author for the play Elephant.
Emily Ling Williams acquired the perfect director award for romance-comedy A Playlist For The Revolution and Andrea Scott gained greatest designer for her video design for My Neighbour Totoro on the Barbican Theatre.
Lastly, playwright and music author Michael R Jackson scooped the perfect composer, lyricist or ebook author award for his Broadway present A Unusual Loop.
Talking concerning the awards, The Stage editor Alistair Smith mentioned: “Our great winners spotlight simply how a lot rising expertise there may be throughout British theatre.
“I’m significantly happy that this yr we had been capable of recognise our first ever winner in a Welsh-language efficiency.
“In the meantime, additionally for the primary time this yr, I’m delighted to disclose that, in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group, we’re providing a £10,000 prize fund cut up amongst our winners.
“Together with the publicity these awards convey, we hope this will likely be an actual tangible assist to them as they embark on what we have now little doubt will likely be stellar careers.”