Jodie Comer, an actor, expressed her joy after receiving a The Stage Debut Award for her performance in the play Prima Facie on Sunday night, stating that she had previously believed theatre to be “something I wasn’t schooled in enough to do” because she had not attended drama school.
In winning the award for Best West End Debut Performer, Comer, who played the lead in the play at the Harold Pinter Theatre earlier this year, said: “I remember so clearly my disbelief when seeing the Prima Facie script in my inbox. I was perplexed as to why it had been delivered to me and doubted my capacity to carry out something that felt so significant and powerful.
Since I didn’t attend theatre school, I struggled with self-doubt for a very long time. It was only thanks to a generous and encouraging group of individuals that I was able to seize this opportunity and give it everything I had.
“This validation feels like a very warm welcome,” she continued, “as someone who has spent most of their life feeling that theatre was unachievable or something I wasn’t trained in enough to perform. So I want to thank you for your help. You don’t realise how much it matters.
Comer was raised in Liverpool and occasionally attended a children’s acting school. She earned a prize at the 2006 Liverpool Performing Arts Festival while she was a youngster. Subsequently, a teacher at her school advised she try out for a BBC Radio 4 production, which led to her landing her first employment. In the years afterwards, the Killing Eve star has won two BAFTAs and one Emmy. After screenings on screens across the nation, Prima Facie set records for event cinema and will be appearing on Broadway the following year.
Georgia Bird, the show’s stage manager, read Comer’s comments because the actress was unable to make it to the event, which took place at 8 Northumberland Avenue in the heart of London.
At the awards, Tyrell Williams received best writer for Red Pitch at the Bush Theatre, while Elisabeth Gunawan won best performer in a play for Unforgettable Girl at the Voila! Festival in London. Julia Cheng got best creative West End debut for her work on Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre.
When host Susan Wokoma claimed that The Stage magazine brought the Spice Girls together, the audience laughed. The group once claimed that they were all inspired to audition after seeing a classified item in the magazine.