The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional productions and shows in London's West End.
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.
The awards are currently produced by Alex Wood and Darius Thompson (for WhatsOnStage) with co-producers Alex Parker and Damian Sandys.
History 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 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 Venues 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 WhatsOnStage 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.
2008 The 2008 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 22 February at the Lyric Theatre and were hosted by James Corden and Sheridan Smith.
2009 The 2009 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 15 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by James Corden and Sheridan Smith.
2010 The 2010 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 14 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Christopher Biggins and Mel Giedroyc.
2011 The 2011 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 19 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Sheridan Smith, Christopher Biggins and Miranda Hart.
2012 The 2012 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 20 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Sheridan Smith, Alan Davies and Jenny Eclair.
2013 The 2013 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 18 February at the Palace Theatre and were hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Rufus Hound.
2014 The 2014 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 22 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Stephen Fry and Julian Clary.
2015 The 2015 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony took place on 15 February at the Prince of Wales Theatre and were hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Steve Furst.
2016 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.
2017 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.
2018 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 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.
2020 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 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.
2022 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 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 The 2024 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were held on 11 February 2024 at the London Palladium and were hosted by Bonnie Langford and Melanie La Barrie.
2025 (The Silver Anniversary Concert) The 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were held on 9 February 2025 at the London Palladium and were hosted for the first time by Gina Murray and Mazz Murray.
2026 The 2026 WhatsOnStage Awards concert and ceremony were held on 8 March 2026 at the London Palladium and were hosted for the second time by Gina Murray and Mazz Murray.
Current Award Categories
Performance categories SINE Digital Best Performer in a Play Award Best Performer in a Musical Best Supporting Performer in a Play Best Supporting Performer in a Musical Best Takeover Performance Best Professional Debut Performance Go Live Theatre Best Child Performance
Production categories Travelzoo Best New Musical Award Best Musical Revival Best New Play The Londoner Best Play Revival Award Best West End Show Audience Republic Best Regional Production Best Studio Production Best Concert Event Best Direction Best Casting Direction Best Choreography Preevue Best Set Design Award Best Costume Design White Light Best Lighting Design Award Best Sound Design Best Video Design Best Musical Direction/Supervision Best Wigs, Hair and Make-Up Design
Special categories AudienceView Services to UK Theatre
Defunct categories Best Actor in a Play Best Actress in a Play Best Supporting Actor in a Play Best Supporting Actress in a Play Best Actor in a Musical Best Actress in a Musical Best Supporting Actor In a Musical Best Supporting Actress In a Musical Best Solo Performance Best Ensemble Performance Theatre Event Of The Year Best Poster Design
Recent winners
2008 Best Actress in a Play: Maggie Smith – The Lady from Dubuque at the Theatre Royal Haymarket Best Actor in a Play: Ian McKellen – King Lear, RSC at the New London Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Diana Rigg – All About My Mother at the Old Vic Best Supporting Actor in a Play: Lee Evans – The Dumb Waiter at Trafalgar Studios Best Actress in a Musical: Leanne Jones – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Best Actor in a Musical: Michael Ball – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Tracie Bennett – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Best Supporting Actor in a Musical: Ben James-Ellis – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Best Solo Performance: Fiona Shaw – Happy Days at the NT Lyttelton Best Ensemble Performance: The Taming of the Shrew & Twelfth Night – Propeller at the Old Vic Best Takeover in a Role: Kerry Ellis – Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Best New Play: All About My Mother by Samuel Adamson – at the Old Vic Best New Comedy: Elling by Simon Bent – at the Bush & Trafalgar Studios Best New Musical: Hairspray by Marc Shaiman, Scott Whittman, Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan – at the Shaftesbury Best Play Revival: Equus – at the Gielgud Best Musical Revival: Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – at the Adelphi The Best Shakespearean Production: Macbeth – at the Gielgud Best Director: Jack O'Brien – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Best Set Designer: Rob Howell – The Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Best Choreographer: Jerry Mitchell – Hairspray at the Shaftesbury London Newcomer of the Year: Daniel Radcliffe – Equus at the Gielgud Best Off West End Production: A Christmas Carol & The Magic Flute – at the Young Vic and I Love You Because – at the Landor Best Regional Production: Pygmalion – at the Theatre Royal Bath & on tour Theatre Event of the Year: Daniel Radcliffe's steamy publicity shots for Equus
2009 Best Actress in a Play: Katy Stephens – The Histories, RSC at the Roundhouse Best Actor in a Play: Kenneth Branagh – Ivanov, Donmar West End at Wyndham's Best Supporting Actress in a Play: Sophie Thompson – The Female of the Species at the Vaudeville Best Supporting Actor in a Play: Tom Hiddleston – Othello at the Donmar Warehouse & Ivanov, Donmar West End at Wyndham's Best Actress in a Musical: Sofia Escobar – West Side Story at Sadler's Wells Best Actor in a Musical: Ryan Molloy – Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Best Supporting Actress in a Musical: Tracie Bennett – La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse Best Supporting Actor in a Musical: Stephen Ashfield – Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Best Solo Performance: Eddie Izzard – Stripped at the Lyric Best Ensemble Performance: Into the Hoods – at the Novello Best Takeover in a Role: Daniel Boys – Avenue Q at the Noël Coward Books Best New Play: Under the Blue Sky by David Eldridge – at the Duke of York's Best New Comedy: Fat Pig by Neil LaBute – at Trafalgar Studios & the Comedy Best New Musical: Jersey Boys by Bob Gaudio, Bob Crewe, Rick Elice & Marshall Brickman – at the Prince Edward Best Play Revival: Ivanov, Donmar West End – at Wyndham's Best Musical Revival: West Side Story – at Sadler's Wells Best Shakespearean Production: Othello – at the Donmar Warehouse Best Director: Michael Grandage – Othello & The Chalk Garden at the Donmar Warehouse & Ivanov, Donmar West End at Wyndham's Best Set Designer: Klara Zieglerova – Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Best Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth – Brief Encounter at The Cinema, Haymarket & Six Characters in Search of an Author at the Gielgud Best Choreographer: Lynne Page – La Cage aux Folles at the Menier Chocolate Factory & Playhouse London Newcomer of the Year: Josh Hartnett – Rain Man at the Apollo Best Off West End Production: Come Dancing – at Theatre Royal Stratford East Best Regional Production: Hamlet – RSC at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Theatre Event of the Year: David Tennant returning to the stage in Hamlet for the RSC
2010 Best Actress in a Play: Rachel Weisz - A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse