Cranston and Turner up to the Stage of price

Jan Versweyveld/Johan Persson

Aidan Turner and Bryan Cranston are among those nominated for this year’s Stage Debut of Price.

The two actors are up for best West End debut award, with the eventual winner being voted on by the public.

Adrienne Warren, who plays the role of Tina Turner’s Music and the Diversity Ashley Banjo are also up for the award.

The award recognises outstanding debut on stage in the course of the last year, with the winners revealed at a ceremony in central London on 23 September.

Manual Harlan

This is the second Stage Debut at the Awards ceremony, following the inaugural event in 2017.

Last year, the event saw The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells win best composer for everyone is Talking about Jamie, then aged 25 years, Katherine Soper has been named best writer for his debut play to wish List. Meet theater’s hottest new stars

The prices are on the Stage, the theatre, the newspaper and the website, to celebrate the breakthrough of the talent of actors, directors, designers, writers, composers, and lyricists who have made their professional stage debuts in the last year.

Poldark’s Aidan Turner made his opening to the West-End appearance in last month’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore, playing Mad Padraic – terrorist considered too violent to be a member of the IRA – with one critic describing it as a “revelation”.

Johan Persson

Bryan Cranston, meanwhile, made his “irresistible” debuts in November – play deranged news anchor, Howard Beale, Ivo van Hove, the stage of the Network.

The shortlist and the winners of the awards are decided by a jury which met at the end of the month of July.

It is a category in which the public can vote for the winner from a shortlist of candidates, the Joe Allen Best West End Debut award.

Lyn Gardner, associate editor at the Scene, said: “It feels both truly festive and useful to recognize the talent of the people at the beginning of their career.

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“There are a lot of rewards that heaps praise on the already successful, but the Stage Debut of Price, are unique in giving a helping hand to those who join the profession. It has been a privilege to be part of the team helping to select the winners.”

The Scene has unveiled the full list of candidates on Thursday. The nominees for the Joe Allen Best West End Debut award are:
Mohamed Amiri to The Jungle at the Playhouse Theatre
Ashley Banjo to Dick Whittington at the London Palladium
Bryan Cranston for the Network at the National Theatre
Michelle Greenidge for the Nine Night at the National Theatre
John McCrea for everyone is Talking about Jamie at the Apollo Theatre
Kelli O’hara for The King and I at the London Palladium
Joe Robertson, and Joe Murphy to The Jungle at the Playhouse Theatre
Lucie Shorthouse for everyone is Talking about Jamie at the Apollo Theatre
Aidan Turner for The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Noel Coward Theatre
Adrienne Warren for Tina: the Tina Turner Musical at the Aldwych Theatre

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