Details announced for Understudy of the Year 2016

We are delighted to announced that voting for Understudy of the Year 2016 will open later this week on Friday 12th August.

The Award will run until Monday 29th August 2016. The full nominations list will be announced on Thursday (11th August), but keep an eye on social media for some teasers! Understudy of the Year is a celebration of standbys, alternates and understudies, without whom the West End wouldn’t be able to function. 

Last year's Understudy of the Year Award was won by Jacqueline Hughes for standing by as Elphaba in Wicked. Zoë Birkett (alternate Rachel/The Bodyguard) finished second whilst Ryan O'Donnell (understudy Ray Davies/Sunny Afternoon) finished third. All three have since gone on to play their respective roles full-time. 

Previous winners also include Carolyn Maitland (understudy Ellen/Miss Saigon), Ashley Day (understudy Elder Price/The Book of Mormon) and Katy Treharne (alternate Christine/The Phantom of the Opera).

Unlike other theatre awards, West End Frame only opens voting for one category at a time and combines male and female actors from new and long-running productions into the same categories (where applicable). The 2016 West End Frame Awards began in June with Rachelle Ann Go winning Best Performance of a Song for her rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' in Les Miserables.