Nottingham Playhouse, Theatr Clwyd and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds have been named as finalists for the 2026 UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award. The winner will be revealed at this year’s UK Theatre Awards, which return to 8 Northumberland Avenue on Monday 12 October, supported by headline sponsor Encore. For over 30 years, this annual event has celebrated the creative excellence and outstanding achievements seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK Theatre member venues were invited to apply for the coveted award, and the three finalists were selected based on how welcoming the venues are across multiple factors, from accessibility and inclusion practices, to programming, outreach, workforce and audience development.
The judging panel will now visit the venues in person to determine the overall winner. Visits often involve meeting staff, having a tour of the building, taking part in a scheduled activity, speaking to audience members or visiting the onsite café or restaurant.
“Theatres thrive when they are deeply connected to the people and places they serve, and this year’s finalists – Nottingham Playhouse, Theatr Clwyd and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds – have each demonstrated an outstanding commitment to creating welcoming spaces for audiences, artists, staff and their local communities. We are proud to celebrate their ambition, leadership and commitment to making theatre accessible, relevant and inclusive for everyone.
“Congratulations to all three finalists on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you to our judging panel, who now face the exciting challenge of selecting this year’s winner ahead of the UK Theatre Awards in October.”
Hannah Essex, Co-CEO of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre
“The team has worked tremendously hard to keep Nottingham Playhouse accessible, inclusive and welcoming in the face of swingeing funding cuts and the significant pressures felt by the community we are proud to serve. It means the world to the team to be honoured with this shortlisting, which reflects our commitment to be a place where everybody feels they belong.”
Stephanie Sirr MBE, Chief Executive of Nottingham Playhouse
“Our community has always been at the heart of Theatr Clwyd. They are who we work hard for every day to deliver an amazing theatrical experience. This nomination is a credit to our entire company who place the welcoming of our audiences and community at the core of their work.”
The Theatre Clwyd team
“We are absolutely delighted to be nominated for this award. This nomination is testament to the dedication of our brilliant staff team and particularly to our team of 120 volunteer stewards who give up their time to ensure that audiences have a great time when visiting Theatre Royal.”
Owen Calvert-Lyons, Artistic Director and CEO of Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
About the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award finalists:
Nottingham Playhouse is one of the UK’s leading producing theatres, named Theatre of the Year 2025 in The Stage Awards, and UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre at the UK Theatre Awards 2023. Over 70 years, they have built a legacy of bold, ambitious and diverse productions that tour nationally and internationally. The two times Olivier Award winning Punch by James Graham, commissioned and produced by Nottingham Playhouse, and directed by Artistic Director Adam Penford, transferred simultaneously to London’s West End and Broadway in 2025. A UK Tour in 2027 has been announced, as has a special schools version. Nottingham Playhouse empowers local communities and emerging artists through their Participation and Amplify programmes and is also a Theatre of Sanctuary.
Theatr Clwyd is Wales’ biggest producing theatre. Based in Flintshire, North Wales the organisation is led by Executive Director Liam Evans-Ford and Artistic Director Kate Wasserberg. Theatr Clwyd is one of only four theatres in the UK to build sets and props, make costumes and paint scenery in-house. The organisation works throughout its community and is recognised as a cultural leader for its artist development, health and wellbeing, and youth justice programmes. In addition Theatr Clwyd runs a major music service providing music lessons throughout schools, and operates Wrexham’s William Aston Hall. Theatr Clwyd’s building has just undergone a major capital redevelopment project which reimagined the theatre’s public spaces and created a greener, more efficient and sustainable building where world-class art can thrive and social action is rooted for generations to come.
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is a historic Regency theatre and contemporary performance venue in Suffolk, and a key cultural and social asset in West Suffolk. As a producing house, it creates four high-quality in-house productions each year, while delivering a diverse programme that attracts over 75,000 audience members annually. Committed to fostering creativity and imagination, the theatre works to transform lives in the local community through education and the performing arts. It became a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) in 2023 with support from Arts Council England and is a registered charity (no. 242977). Designed by William Wilkins, the building is considered one of the cultural sector’s crown jewels and is the only theatre in the National Trust’s portfolio.
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