SMA Awards 2026 - Nominees List
- Antonia Collins Award for Early Career SMs (Award for Outstanding Early Entrant Stage Manager (any grade), sponsored by The Bamboo Manager Project).
Bea Harper, ASM Book Cover on Nutcracker at the English National Ballet, November 2025 - January 2026
Bláithín McReynolds, ASM on Marie and Rosetta, at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, Wolverhampton Grand, Chichester, and Soho Place, March 2025 - April 2026
Izzy Cox, SM Swing on Alice in Wonderland at the Riverside Studios, March - April 2026
Jara Hilmarsdóttir, MA Stage Management Student at Guildford School of Acting / University of Surrey, graduated April 2026
Kali Shih, ASM on Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, June - August 2025
Louise Morrison, ASM Book Cover on Double Indemnity the UK Tour, January - May 2026
Mahina Wong, ASM on Beauty and the Beast at Didcot Arts Centre, December 2025
Mark Southall, Stage Management Student at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, graduation summer 2026
- Clear-Com SMA Team Excellence Award (SMA Awards: Clear-Com Award for Outstanding Team work and Excellence. Sponsor: Clear-Com)
Back To The Future - The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre, April 2025 - April 2026
SM: Jordan Shingleton
DSM: Alice Barber
ASMs: Lauryn Gibbon, Maya Tinapp, Sam Harcourt
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre and UK Tour, October 2025 - March 2026
CSM: Sue Volans
Rehearsal CSM: Fiona Coombe
SM: Geoffrey Field
DSM: Elspeth Watt
Tech ASMs: Joseph Brown, Ian S. Murphy, Arber Binjaku, and Suzi Kelly
ASM Book Cover: Zoe Leonard
Dancing at Lughnasa at Sheffield Theatres and Royal Exchange Theatres, September - November 2025
SM: Sarah Gentle
DSM: Sophia Horrocks
ASMs: Briony Kirkman and Olwen Barnes-Archer
Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre, July 2025 - May 2026
SM: Jon Kindon
DSM: Paul Bamford
ASMs: Charli Unwin, Niamh O’Donoghue, Josh Croft, Rosie Tredray
Mother Goose and The Manningtree Witches at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, October 2025 - February 2026
CSM: Rebecca Samuels
DSMs: Judith Volk and Esther Malkinson
ASMs: Lucy Quinton, Gillian McGrath, and Lizzie Hayward
Noises Off! In The Round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, August 2025
SM: Fleur Beeley
DSM: Steve Muckersie
ASMs: Emma Lang and Kayleigh Cooper
Stage Tech: Charlie Rees
Playing Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe, January - April 2026
SM: Jenny Skivens
DSM: Danielle Whitfield
ASM: Sam Bennett
Punch at the Apollo Theatre, previously at the Young Vic and Nottingham Playhouse, 2024 - November 2025
CSMs: Sarah Jenkins and Lizzie Chapman
DSM: Amy Gelnar
ASM Book Cover: Theo Corrance
ASMs: Olga Morisse and Patricia Davenport
Dep ASMs: Frances Chappell and Emily Humphreys
Rock and Roll Man at Theatre Royal Windsor,
CSM: Emily Stedman
DSM: Katie Galbraith
ASM Book Cover: Caitlin Ravenscroft
ASM: Ellie Smallbone
- Imagine Theatre Outstanding Individual Stage Manager (SMA Awards: Imagine Theatre Award for Outstanding Individual Stage Manager. Sponsor: Imagine Theatre)
Andie Dew, Stage Manager on The Oliviers, April 2026
Chloë Chancheong, DSM on To Kill A Mockingbird the UK Tour 2025 - 2026
Fiona Coombe, CSM on The Play That Goes Wrong at The Duchess Theatre, 2020 - 2026
Geoffrey Field, TSM on Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, West End and UK Tour, November 2025 - March 2026
Ian Andlaw, DSM on Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre
Jak Wolley, CSM on The Journey Back the UK Tour, June 2025 - May 2026
Jen Davey, CSM on Book on Kenrex, Crucible Sheffield and The Other Palace, December 2025 - February 2026
Jess Dalloway, Stage Manager on The Pied Piper of Hamelin at The Met, Bury, November - December 2025
Peter Barnett, Stage Manager on Burlesque The Musical at the Savoy Theatre, June - September 2025
Rebecca Samuels, Company Stage Manager on Mother Goose and The Manningtree Witches at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, October 2025 - May 2026
Roisin Symes, CSM at Soho Theatre, December 2025 - March 2026
Sally Inch, DSM on The Greatest Showman at the Bristol Hippodrome, June 2025 - May 2026
Sophia Horrocks, DSM on Dancing at Lughnasa at Sheffield Theatres and Royal Exchange Theatres, September - November 2025
- Stage Managers’ Theatre of the Year (SMA Awards: Vote for your favourite theatre. Sponsor: Theatre Digs Booker)
Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Nottingham Playhouse
Octagon Bolton
Shakespeare’s Globe
Sheffield Crucible
Stephen Joseph Theatre
The Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent
The Watermill, Newbury
Theatre Royal, Brighton
SMA Awards Ceremony will be hosted by ABTT Theatre Show at lunchtime at 1300 on 3rd June 2026,followed by a drinks reception.
ABTT Theatre Show Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY
Please visit our stand : Stage Management Association (SMA) –
Stand PC15
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Principal Event sponsors of SMA Excellence Awards: Stage Electrics
In February we opened nominations for the 2026 SMA Awards, now in our 38th year!
So it's definitely time now(with the deadline for nominations on 15th May looming) to nominate SMs and teams you have worked with between May 2025 and May 2026.
We are looking for excellence and outstanding or out of the ordinary contributions to your shows by an individual SM team member, a new entrant, a whole team, or even over a lifetime!
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Stage management often shine as much in the small things on a show as the big issues. Help SMA to shout out in the 2026 Awards for the small things that SMs do which make a big, big difference : fantastic support way beyond the norm. for the acting company on a testing show. Coming up with the perfect prop which makes the scene. A ‘stroke of genius’ piece of scheduling which saves the day in a complex tech. Creative contributions in the rehearsal room which hit just the right note... Producers, Directors and casts know that stage management often shine in the mundane details of productions
Nominate your quiet heroes in 2026- see the links below
Neither you nor your nominee(s) need to be SMA members. We welcome award nominations from everyone in our theatre and live events communities: casts, creatives, producers, directors, and all colleagues backstage including fellow SMs.
The only nominations we don't except are self-nominations. Nominators cannot also be nominees in the same category!
The awards to be announced will be:
Antonia Collins Award for Early Career SMs -any theatre colleague can nominate any SM graduate in '24 -'26 or any other recent entrant to stage - or live events- management for excellent or outstanding work. Sponsored by The Bamboo Manager Project
and Flints Theatrical Chandlers 
Antonia Collins Award for Early Entrant Stage Manager - Google Forms
Clear-Com SMA Team Excellence Award -any theatre colleague can nominate SMA Award for Outstanding team work and Excellence -Google Forms
Imagine Theatre Outstanding Individual Stage Manager - any theatre colleague can nominate SMA Awards: Award for Outstanding Individual Stage Manager - Google Forms
In addition stage managers can vote for their favourite theatre in 2025-26:
Stage Managers’ Theatre of the Year sponsored by Theatre Digs Booker
Theatre Digs Booker.png (311×70)
Any stage manager can nominate their favourite theatre SMA Awards Vote for your favourite UK Theatre - Google Forms
Our Judges will also be seeking suggestions for the long list for the
- David Ayliff Award for Lifetime Achievement in Stage Management
All nomination forms are accessible via links on this page, and can be submitted online.
Please submit your nomination as soon as possible to meet the deadlines for shortlisting.
In most categories there will be a Longlist and Judges will select nominations for the Shortlist. The shortlist cut will be in the week of 13th April and nominators may be contacted for further information and evidence to be submitted at this time prior to final judging
Final Deadline for all nominations to be received is 15th May 2026 - but see shortlist info above.
Please include as much information as possible with your nominations, including evidence from colleagues, pictures and programmes or reviews as appropriate
