US actress Sadie Sink and musician Tom Fletcher are among the famous faces nominated for the Stage Debut Awards.
They will compete for prizes at the ceremony next month alongside stars such as Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes, Oscar-nominated star Brendan Gleeson and I Swear actor Robert Aramayo.
Best West End Debut Performer Category
Stranger Things actress Sink is among 10 nominees up for best West End debut performer, joined by her Romeo And Juliet co-star Noah Jupe.
The 24-year-old starred as Juliet Capulet in the production, which was directed by Olivier Award-winner Robert Icke, and recently ended its 14-week run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.
She made her West End debut in the reimagined staging of William Shakespeare's play months after the final season of Netflix smash-hit Stranger Things aired.
Sink received strong reviews for her emotional performance, and has since appeared in films such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The debut performer category is the only one voted for by the public and the nominations also include Irish actor Gleeson and his co-star Kate Phillips for their roles as Jack and Valerie in The Weir.
Creative Debuts and Directorial Nominations
Arti Shah has been nominated for her role in Paddington The Musical, which sees her work closely with puppeteer James Hameed to bring the marmalade-loving bear to life.
The show, adapted from the books by Michael Bond and the films, has been a hit since its debut last year and recently picked up seven prizes at the Olivier Awards.
Paddington The Musical is at the Savoy Theatre in London and features music and lyrics by McFly star Fletcher, who has received a nod for best creative West End debut.
Tony-winning actor Fiennes has received a nod for his directorial debut with As You Like It, an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy about love, banishment and mistaken identity.
He will compete in the best director category against Douglas Clarke-Wood for This Is Not About Me, Tommaso Giacomin for The Uncontainable Nausea Of Alec Baldwin, and Michelle McTernan for Hop – The Hopeful Hare.
Other Nominees and Ceremony Details
Bafta-winning actor Aramayo is up for best performer in a play for his role in Guess How Much I Love You? at the Royal Court Theatre in London, which was his first professional stage role.
He will compete against Jupe as well as TV actress Erin Kellyman and stage stars Dylan Malyn, Amber Van Der Brugge and Assa Kanoute among others.
Sam Marlowe, chairwoman of judges and The Stage reviews editor, said it had been an “immense pleasure and a privilege” to narrow down this year's nominees, and hailed their “work of stunning breadth and ingenuity”.
She added: “As ever, we recognise and salute those flexing their talents in our smallest spaces, on shoestring budgets, as well as those creating on a much larger scale.
“From the tiniest fringe venues to the West End stage, they all have one thing in common: a palpable passion for the art form, and limitless vision, both of which continue to make our theatre culture vibrant, challenging, thrilling and beautiful.
“These are artists taking their first steps with their gaze firmly fixed on the future – and the Debuts celebrates not only their achievements so far, but all those still to come.”
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London on September 27.
