Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage prequel to Netflix’s sci-fi series, emerged as a major winner at 78th Annual Tony Awards, taking home trophies for Best Scenic Design, Lighting Design, and Sound Design of a Play.

It also received a special award for its illusions and technical effects.

Directed by Stephen Daldry, the play was nominated in five categories, including a nod for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Louis McCartney, who portrays Henry Creel, a younger version of the TV series’ main antagonist Vecna.

Set in 1959, The First Shadow takes audiences decades before the events of the original Netflix show, exploring the origins of the Upside Down’s most terrifying inhabitant. Jim Hopper and Joyce Maldonado — later known as Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers in the TV series — appear as teenagers grappling with school and social lives. But everything changes when a new student, the mysterious and troubled Henry Creel, arrives in town.

The play premiered in London in 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre and transferred to Broadway in March 2025, opening at the Marquis Theatre. The play is produced by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts on Netflix this year.

Hosted by Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo, the 78th Tony Awards were held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Monday (IST). Maybe Happy Ending, a musical directed by Will Aronson and Hue Park, swept the awards with six wins. Purpose was named the best play.