2024 Best Supporting Performance in a Play

Winners

Lorraine Ashbourne, Till the Stars Come Down
June Watson, Oedipus
Aunt Carol. That is all.
And June Watson has steadily been delivering exceptional work in pretty much everything she does, devastating here as the mother who no-one listens to until it is too late.

Honourable mentions

Sharon D Clarke, The Importance of Being Earnest
Tom Goodman-Hill, Pearl Mackie, Siobhán Redmond, The Human Body
A handbag has never sounded so good as Clarke invests her Lady Bracknell with such integrity in this riotous production. And in a year of great multi-roling performances in many a theatre, the trio of Goodman-Hill, Mackie and Redmond almost stole the show at the Donmar.

Other nominees

Freema Agyeman, Romeo and Juliet
Helen Chong, Emily McGlynn, Cassie and the Lights
Romola Garai, Giant
Elliot Levey, Giant
Justin Salinger, Ballet Shoes
Eelco Smits, De Wetten
Zubin Varla, A Tupperware of Ashes
Samuel West, Twelfth Night (RSC)

After some reflection and looking at how other theatre awards have addressed the issue of gendered awards, I’ve come up with my own solution. I’ve merged categories but doubled the number of awards, so that I’m still recognising the same number of performances rather than halving them, as so many others seem to have done. Each to their own, but I’d always want to celebrate more than less of the performances I’ve loved throughout the year.