The Offies (The Off West End Theatre Awards) are here to recognise and celebrate the excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent theatres across London.
The point of these awards - as with everything we do at OffWestEnd.com - is to help raise the profile and status of independent theatres in London by giving them greater power to promote their work individually and collectively and to reward the new talent that they nurture and that is essential to the future of our theatre industry.
To take part, the production needs to have a minimum of 10 performances over a minimum of a 3 week period, the theatre needs to be a participating member of OffWestEnd.com (see criteria explained in the download on right-hand side of this page), and the theatre or the company needs to invite our assessors by emailing theoffies@offwestend.com with the date you wish us to attend. Nominations will be published immediately on this page as they come in. The only exceptions to this criteria are the productions entered for The TBC Award, The Best Opera Production and Best Production for Young People where we need a minimum of 4 performances over 4 days.
The making of The Offies.
Simon Callow explains why Off West End theatres are essential to life! (video 6 min)
Over 80 theatres are participating with over 300 productions being considered over the year by 40 qualified assessors made up of members from the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass and the OffWestEnd.com Super Club. There will be two lists of winners - those chosen by you the public in the Public Vote and, secondly and separately, those chosen by a Panel of Theatre Critics made up of:
The Panel Nominations for 2013 are below and are added to regularly:
Best Male
Felix Scott for Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Gate Theatre
Jack Johns for Othello at the Arts Cafe, Peckham
James Cooney for Bottleneck at the Soho Theatre
Tom Barratt for School for Wives at White Bear Theatre
Alexander Neal for Sus at the Lion & Unicorn
Christopher Timothy for The Living Room at Jermyn Street Theatre
James Dinsmore for Darling of the Day at the Union Theatre
John Barr for A Class Act at the Landor
Stephen Leask for The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes at Hoxton Hall
Shane Attwooll for Playing with Grown Ups at Theatre 503
Joe Dempsie for Even Stillness Breathes Softly Against a Brick Wall at the Soho Theatre
Keith Ramsay for Billy at the Union Theatre
Michael Pennington for Dances of Death at the Gate Theatre
Best Female
Jocelyn Jee Esien for One Monkey Don't Stop No Show at Tricycle Theatre
Emma Davies for The Living Room at The Jermyn Street Theatre
Katy Secombe for Darling of the Day at the Union Theatre
Alice Frankham for Vanessa and Virginia at Riverside Studios
Andrea Miller for The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes at Hoxton Hall
Louise Jameson for Gutted at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Leanne Best for The Match Box at Tricycle Theatre
Trudi Jackson for Playing with Grown Ups at Theatre 503
Kira Morsley for Phantom at Ye Olde Rose and Crown
Carla Langley for Cuddles at the Ovalhouse Upstairs
Vicky Araico Casas for Juana at The Southwark Playhouse
Jaye Griffiths for DonŐt Wake Me at the Cockpit Theatre
Best New Play
Bottleneck by Luke Barnes at the Soho Theatre
God's Property by Arinze Kene at the Soho Theatre
Dirty great love story by Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna at Soho Upstairs
Vanessa and Virginia by Elizabeth Wright at Riverside Studios
The Match Box by Frank McGuiness
Playing with Grown Ups at Theatre 503
The Victorian in the Wall by Will Adamsdale at Royal Court and Fuel co-production
Nothing Is the End of the World (except for the End of the World) at the Finborough Theatre
Mess by Caroline Horton (BAC)
DonŐt Wake Me: The Ballad of Nihal Armstrong by Rahila Gupta at the Cockpit Theatre
Most Promising New Playwright
Emma Adams for Freakoid at the Ovalhouse
Elizabeth Wright for Vanessa and Virginia at Riverside Studios
Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley for Streets at the Cockpit Theatre
Thomas Eccleshare for Pastoral at Soho Theatre
Best Director
Anthony Green for Othello at the Arts Cafe, Peckham
Christopher Howell & Steven Harris for Chess at the Union
Martin Parr for Hamlet at Rose Bankside
Jenny Eastop for School for Wives at White Bear Theatre
Sergio Amigo for Monsters at Calder Bookshop
Tom Littler for The Living Room at Jermyn Street Theatre
Christopher Howell for Chess at the Union Theatre
Jenny Eastop for School for Wives at White Bear Theatre
Robert McWhir for A Class Act at the Landor
Rebecca Atkinson-Lord for Cuddles at the Ovalhouse Upstairs
Max Pappenheim for Nothing Is the End of the World (except for the End of the World) at the Finborough Theatre
Michael Strassen for Billy at the Union Theatre
Best Lighting Designer
Ben M Rogers for Chess at the Union
Dan Herd for The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle at Soho Theatre
Johanna Town for The Life of Stuff at Theatre 503
Phil Bentley for Orpheus at BAC
William Reynolds for Dances of Death at the Gate Theatre
Best Set Designer
Lily Arnold for Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Gate Theatre
Rebecca Brower for Hamlet at Rose Bankside
Ellen Cairns for God's Property at the Soho Theatre
Cherry Truluck for The Living Room at Jermyn Street Theatre
Kate Unwin for Vanessa and Virginia at Riverside Studios
David Shields for Sleeping Arrangements at the Landor Theatre
Jacob Hughes for The Blind & The Intruder at the Old Red Lion Theatre
Max Dorey for the Duke In Darkness at the Tabard Theatre
Simon Higlett for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg at the Rose Kingston
Best Sound Designer
Nick Manning for Metamorphosis at Lyric Hammersmith
Ring at Battersea Arts Centre
Jeremy Thurlow for Vanessa and Virginia at Riverside Studios
Simon Slater for The Life of Stuff at Theatre 503
Alex Judd for Little Soldiers at Cockpit Theatre
Tom Mills for Pastoral at Soho Theatre
Chris Branch for The Victorian in the Wall by Will Adamsdale at Royal Court and Fuel co-production
George Dennis for Dances of Death at the Gate Theatre
Jon McLeod for The Nightmare Dreamer at the Blue Elephant Theatre
Best Costume Designer
Anna Sorensen Sargent for Fair Em at the Union Theatre
Lily Arnold for Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Gate Theatre
Amedine Bello for Little Soldiers at Cockpit Theatre
Best Choreographer
Lily Arnold for Gruesome Playground Injuries at the Gate Theatre
Rebecca Brower for Hamlet at Rose Banks
Matt Flint for Darling of the Day at the Union Theatre
Best Ensemble
Othello at CLF ART CAFE Peckham
Prophesy at the Blackall Studios
Moby Dick at Arcola Theatre
The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle at Soho Theatre
The Life of Stuff at Theatre 503
The Victorian in the Wall by Will Adamsdale at Royal Court and Fuel co-production
Best Production
The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle at Soho Theatre
Playing with Grown Ups at Theatre 503
The Victorian in the Wall by Will Adamsdale at Royal Court and Fuel co-production
Max Pappenheim for Nothing Is the End of the World (except for the End of the World) at the Finborough Theatre
TBC Award
Ring at the Battersea Arts Centre
Best New Musical
Streets at the Cockpit Theatre
Best Musical Production
Chess at the Union
Glasgow Girls at Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes at Hoxton Hall
Billy at the Union Theatre
Best Opera Production
Mansfield Park by Hampstead Garden Opera at Highgate
Best Production For Young People
A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings by Kneehigh and Little Angel Theatre
1001 Nights at Unicorn Theatre
Grimm Tales at Polka Theatre
Egg at Polka Theatre
Carnival at Unicorn Theatre
this is your chance to choose your own winners in 2013!
The public vote will open on early January 2014 when the full list of nominations are listed for the year.
To cast your votes you need to be a Subscriber - subscribe for free at the bottom of this page at any time and then (when voting opens) look for the link at the bottom of your OffWestEnd.com emails. The link at the bottom of your emails will be your personal code to take you through to your subscriber profile and voting form. As a Subscriber you will be receiving regular emails throughout the year on upcoming shows across London.
The winners in each category will be announced every year, separately from the Panel winners, at The Off West End Theatre Award Ceremony.
The categories up for the Public Vote are:
The People's Favourite Female Performance The People's Favourite Male Performance Award for Most Welcoming Theatre (Central, North, South East, East, North West and South West) Award for Best Theatre Bar (Central, North, South East, East, North West and South West) Award for Best Theatre Foodie Experience (Central, North, South East, East, North West and South West)
