The Board of Directors of NYC’s Theatre World Awards has announced the honorees for an Outstanding Debut Performance in a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production during the 2024-2025 theatrical season, as chosen by the Theatre World Awards Committee, comprised of Linda Armstrong (Amsterdam News), David Cote (The Observer), Joe Dziemianowicz (New York Theatre Guide), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), David Finkle (New York Stage Review), Elysa Gardner (The New York Sun), Harry Haun (Observer.com), Cary Wong (The Interested Bystander), and Frank Scheck (New York Stage Review; The Hollywood Reporter).
First presented in 1945, the Theatre World Awards, founded by John Willis, Editor-in-Chief of both Theatre World and its companion volume Screen World, are the oldest awards given annually at the end of the theater season to six actors and six actresses for their significant, reviewable, debut performances in a Broadway or Off-Broadway production. The ceremony, in which twelve previous winners serve as presenters and share stories from past years, is a private invitation-only event followed by a party to celebrate the new honorees and to welcome them to the Theatre World family. Hosted annually by theater journalist Peter Filichia, this year’s 79th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony and Gala will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe Times Square in the historic Paramount Building, home to some of the most legendary performances in history.
And the 2025 Theatre World Award Honorees for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance are:
Alana Arenas, Purpose;
Kit Connor, Romeo & Juliet;
Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire;
Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard;
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat;
Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire;
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow;
Marjan Neshat, English;
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical;
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard;
Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending;
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Also announced today were this year’s recipients of the following special awards:
2025 Special Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut Performer/Playwright – George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck;
16th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in The Theater – Shailene Woodley, Cult of Love;
12th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre – Leslie Uggams.
The 79th Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony and Gala will be held on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 7 pm, at the Hard Rock Café Times Square, 1501 Broadway, NYC. The event is by invitation only; tickets are not available for purchase.
