The Society for Theatre Research has named joint winners of its prestigious Theatre Book Prize for the first time in the award’s history.
The 2026 prize, which honours books published with a 2025 copyright date, is shared by Martin Sherman’s On the Boardwalk: A Memoir, published by Inkandescent, and Matthew McFrederick’s Staging Beckett in London, published by Methuen Drama.
Michael Burden, Chair of the Society for Theatre Research, announced the joint winners at a ceremony held at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre on Thursday 5 November 2026. Editor Nathan Evans of publisher Inkandescent collected the award on behalf of Martin Sherman in his absence.
This year’s judging panel featured playwright and director Dr John Godber OBE, theatre critic Maryam Philpott, and Tony Award-winning producer Thomas Hopkins. The pair emerged victorious from a six-title shortlist that also included Tim Curry’s Vagabond, Siobhan Keenan’s Richard Burbage and the Shakespearean Stage, Gabriela Minden’s Modernism after the Ballets Russes, and The Methuen Drama Handbook of Women in Contemporary British Theatre, edited by Marissia Fragkou and Rebecca Benzie.
Established in 1998 to celebrate the Society for Theatre Research’s Golden Jubilee, the Theatre Book Prize recognizes outstanding work that brings British theatre history to life and documents contemporary practice for future generations.
The ceremony also included a tribute to Howard Loxton, celebrating his 25-year contribution to the prize following his passing on 22 June 2026. Additionally, organizers confirmed that the judging panel for the 2027 prize will consist of Aliya Al-Hassan, Susan Elkin, and James Martin Charlton, with submissions for books published in 2026 open until 29 January 2027.
