The 37th Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards announced their winners, recognising standout achievements across UK theatre in 2025. The ceremony marked a first in publishing a shortlist prior to selecting winners, highlighting performances from established stars including Hayley Atwell, Brendan Gleeson and Rosamund Pike.

The annual Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards revealed their 11 winners, chosen from a first-ever publicly available shortlist. Voters, made up of UK-based theatre critics, considered around 250 candidates, with 179 receiving at least one vote. This year’s awards spotlighted a broad spectrum of venues and genres, despite economic challenges facing the industry.

Hayley Atwell won Best Shakespearean Performance for Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, while Brendan Gleeson received Best Actor for his role in The Weir at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Rosamund Pike claimed Best Actress for Inter Alia at the National Theatre.

Into the Woods at Bridge Theatre was named Best Ensemble or Cast, also earning Tom Scutt the Best Designer award. Paddington The Musical, staged at the Savoy Theatre, won Best New Musical, and Ivo Van Hove took Best Director for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre.

Ava Pickett was named Most Promising Playwright for 1536 at Almeida Theatre, and Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis won Best Newcomer for Indian Ink at Hampstead Theatre. The revamped Empty Space…Peter Brook Award, renamed in memory of Blanche Marvin and sponsored by Nica Burns, went to Red Rose Chain in Ipswich.

Mark Lawson, chair of the drama section, highlighted the quality of theatre being recognised, noting close contests and recounts in some categories. He emphasised the significance of the awards in indicating “the current high quality of theatre here is guaranteed to continue.”

The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards offer a vital barometer of theatrical excellence, reflecting a vibrant and diverse theatre landscape across the UK in 2025.