Winners have been announced for the inaugural National School Theatre Awards 2024.

The National School Theatre Awards recognises the talents of young people aged 11-18 in school performing arts.

The awards ceremony took place at the Shaw Theatre in London last week, 24 June 2024, with winners including King’s College Wimbledon, Wellington College, Ashfield School, Jo Richardson School, and Chiswick School.

National School Theatre Awards 2024 – Patrons:  L-R: Francesca Bradley, Zoe Boyle, Eoin Mallon, Laurence Kavanagh, Monica Dolan, David Bradley, Kara Tointon, James Taylor, Tracy Dorrington, Chis Ma, Photo: Solace Productions

Actors, and patrons of The National School Theatre Awards, David Bradley and Kara Tointon, were at the ceremony supporting the awards, plus actors Abbie Budden, Jo Joyner, Zoe Boyle and Monica Dolan, music supervisor James Taylor, Drama Practitioner Tracy Dorrington, comedienne, actor and writer Bekka Bowling, Hollywood vocal coach and producer Eoin Mallon, and Musical Director Chris Ma.

British actor Callum Turner, who is a patron of the awards, said in a statement: “As a patron of the National School Theatre Awards, I am honoured to celebrate the dedication and passion of young actors. Witnessing the hard work they put into school productions and the immediate rewards it brings is truly inspiring.”

Actor David Bradley said: “I was honoured to be a guest at the inaugural National School Theatre Awards and had the pleasure of presenting the Best Actor award. It was a fantastic way to showcase the students’ achievements, and I was inspired by the outstanding performances from schools across the country. As I said on the night, if this is the future of theatre, ‘wow!’. It truly was like a mini-Oscars for schools, making it a very special evening.”

Actor Kara Tointon said: “I am delighted to be supporting the NSTAs. School productions are often the stepping stone for many actors, singers and dancers and it is fantastic to be recognising the hard-work commitment and talent that goes into these shows.”

National School Theatre Awards Winners 2024

Best Supporting Actress
Lily Moss, Les Misérables School Edition, Westholme School & Mila Stavrik, Oliver!, Sibford School

Best Supporting Actor
Sal Swinburne, Billy Elliot the Musical, King’s College Wimbledon & Samuel Eartholl, The Little Mermaid, Farlingaye High School

Best Choreography by a Student
Emily Reed – Tap Nation, Velocity, Sandringham School

Best Set, Lighting or Sound Design by a Pupil
Daniel Bevan, Matilda Jr., Meole Brace

Best Male Musical Solo
Brandon McGuiness, Addams Family, Epsom College & Gabriel Williams, Les Misérables School Edition, Westcliff High School for Boys

Best Female Musical Solo
Vanessa Gillions, Beauty and the Beast Emmanuel College & Maya Cornelius, Shrek the Musical, Jo Richardson

Best Ensemble
Beechwood School & Ashfield School

Best Actor in a Play
Harry Swash, Adult Child/Dead Child, Gosfield School & Silas Hopkins, Incident at Vichy, Fulham Boys

Best Actress in a Play
Francesca Ramshall, Lord of Flies, Trent College & Lottie Jones, The Red Shoes, Beaumont School

Best Actor in a Musical
Matthew Lowrey, Les Misérables School Edition, Wellington College & Jacob Guyler, Les Misérables School Edition, Westcliff High School for Boys

Best Actress in a Musical
Ella Firth, Legally Blonde, Stafford Grammar & Sara Traynor-Herenda, Addams Family, Watford Grammar School Academy

Best Play
Edgeborough School, A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Chiswick School, Animal Farm

Kavanagh Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Pupil
Oli Spooner, Beaumont School

Best Musical Production
Billy Elliot the Musical, King’s College Wimbledon & Mary Poppins, Avon Valley School

National School Theatre Awards 2024 winners announced