The Offies

Last updated
The Off West End Theatre Awards
AbbreviationThe Offies
Formation2010;14 years ago (2010)
TypeIndependent Theatre Awards
PurposeExcellence in Off West End Theatre
Region served
United Kingdom
Official language
English
Patron
Kathy Burke (since 2010)
Founders
Sofie Mason & Diana Jervis-Read
Chief Executive
Geoffrey Brown (since 2017)
Staff
2
Volunteers
approximately 60
Website offies.london ; www.offwestend.com

The Off West End Theatre Awards, nicknamed The Offies, were launched in 2010 to recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent Off West End theatres across London. Over 80 theatres participate in the awards, with more than 400 productions being considered annually by a team of 40 assessors, with the winners chosen by a select panel of critics.

Contents

History

The Off West End Theatre Awards were launched in 2010 by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read [1] to commemorate and recognise on and off-stage talent within the theatre industry of around 80 of London's independent Off West End theatres. [2] [3] The first-ever award ceremony for The Offies was held on 27 February 2011 with Simon Callow hosting the event. [4] The aim of the awards is to help raise the profile and status of independent theatres in London by rewarding productions not eligible for the Society of London Theatre-Laurence Olivier Awards. [5] The winners are selected by a panel of theatre critics. [6]

In 2014, Phoebe Waller-Bridge won two Off West End Theatre awards for her one-woman show Fleabag at the Soho Theatre. [7]

In 2017, Geoffrey Brown replaced Sofie and Diana as director. [8]

Ceremony

DateAward Ceremony HostAwards VenueRef.
27 Feb 2011 Simon Callow Wilton's Music Hall, Shadwell [9] [10]
5 Feb 2012 Louise Jameson Theatre Royal Stratford East [11]
24 Feb 2013 Simon Callow [12]
2 Mar 2014 Louise Jameson Unicorn Theatre, Southwark [7]
20 Apr 2015 Louise Jameson [13]
28 Feb 2016 Ian McKellen (via Twitter) [14]
26 Feb 2017 Patrick Stewart (via Twitter) The May Fair Hotel, Mayfair [15] [16] [17]
4 Mar 2018 Amy Lamé Albany Theatre, Deptford [18]
31 May 2019Geoffrey Brown [19]
8 March 2020 Lyn Gardner, Danielle Tarento, Julie Ward, Winsome Pinnock, Lynette Linton Grand Hall at the Battersea Arts Centre [20]
20 February 2022OnlineOnline [21]

Award categories

Plays

Musicals & Opera

Design

Productions for Young People

Special

Other

Recent finalists and winners

Recent winners and nominations have included: [19]

Performance Piece

Best Female Performance in a Play

Male Performance in a Play

Best Performance in a Play

Female Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play

Male Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play [19]

Female Performance in a Musical [19]

Male Performance in a Musical

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon D. Clarke</span> British actress and singer (born 1966)

Sharon Delores Clarke is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier Award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama Holby City, and as Grace O'Brien in Doctor Who. Clarke has also played lead roles in many West End musicals, and originated the roles of the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You and Oda Mae Brown in Ghost the Musical.

Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term "off-Broadway". It is usually used synonymously with the more widespread term Fringe, but sometimes is also used to refer to more mainstream or commercial theatre which is located within London but outside the centre, or to especially small and non-commercial theatres located within the centre. According to London Theatre, "Smaller theatres, including many pub theatres, are called Fringe, although some of these small theatres are also called Off West End, particularly those located in the West End of London, where most of the big commercial theatres are. These small theatres can vary in size, with seating capacities of around 40 to 400."

John Ramm is an English comedian and actor. He plays Raymond Box in the National Theatre of Brent, and has also appeared on film and television in Robin Hood, The Palace, Foyle's War and as Makepeace's neighbour in Shakespeare in Love.

The WhatsOnStage Awards, formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards recognise performers and productions of British theatre with an emphasis on London's West End theatre.

Arinzé Mokwe Kene is a Nigerian-born British actor and playwright.

Judith Annabel Leventon is an English actress who has acted in various roles on stage and television.

Thom Southerland is an English theatre director. He studied at Rose Bruford College. He is best known for his revivals of classic musicals in London, especially in fringe theatre. Along with his 2013 Southwark Playhouse production of the Maury Yeston musical Titanic, some of his best-received productions include:

Snapdragon Productions is a London theatre company run by producer Sarah Loader and director Eleanor Rhode.

Robert Lonsdale is an English actor and musician.

Theatre Renegade is a theatre company based in the United Kingdom which produces socio-political theatre and has a strong focus on putting story, engagement and empathy at the heart of the theatrical experience.

Tyrone Huntley is a British actor, best known for his work in musical theatre.

George Hamilton Rae is a Scottish professional actor best known for his portrayal of Otto Kringelein in the 2015 London revival of the musical Grand Hotel.

Teddy is a Snapdragon Productions and Theatre Bench musical with music by Dougal Irvine and book by Tristan Bernays, set in the Elephant and Castle in London in 1956.

Cassidy Janson is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for & Juliet.

<i>The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</i> (musical) Musical by Jethro Compton and Darren Clark

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a musical with book and lyrics by Jethro Compton, music and lyrics by Darren Clark, and based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Call Me Vicky is a play written by sisters Nicola Bland and Stacey Bland and first performed in 2019 at The Pleasance Theatre, London.

Richy Hughes is an English musical theatre lyricist and theatre maker from Thurrock, England.

Rona Morison is a Scottish actress and narrator. She played Chell in Our Ladies in 2019 and Thompson in Absentia in 2020.

The Bunker was a fringe theatre in Southwark, London, England, from 2016 to 2020.

Joanna Mary Woodward is an English actress. She is known for her musical theatre work.

References

  1. "Offies2020 - 10th Annual Off West End Theatre Awards". britishtheatre.com. March 10, 2020.
  2. "Offies 2021: Full list of Off West End Awards nominees". londontheatre.co.uk. February 21, 2021.
  3. "The Offies Public Nominations for Offies awards 2011". offwestend.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  4. "Vote For Your Favourite Fringe Theatre". londonist.com. December 3, 2010.
  5. "Eligible venues". londonist.com. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  6. "Off West End Announce Offies 2018 Finalists and Awards Event". londontheatre1.com. January 24, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Winners of the Offies 2014". offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  8. "Geoffrey Brown takes over OffWestEnd.com and the Offies". thestage.com. April 20, 2017.
  9. "Union & Finborough Win Three at Inaugural 'Offies'". whatsonstage.com. 27 February 2011. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  10. "2011 Offie Winners Galore!!!! Read All About It!!". offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  11. "2012 Offie Winners Announced at a fabulous award ceremony at Theatre Royal Stratford East..." offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
  12. "Full List of the winners of the Offies 2013". offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  13. 1 2 3 "2015 Offie Award Winners". oughttobeclowns.com. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  14. "And The 2016 Offie Winners Are". offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  15. "2017 Winners of the Offies celebrate their awards at party in London". whatsonstage.com. April 24, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "2017 Winners of the Offies announced". whatsonstage.com. February 26, 2017.
  17. "Offie Finalists 2017". offwestend.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Offies 2018 winners announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The Offies 2019 Winners announced". mrcarlwoodward.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  20. "10th Anniversary Offies Awards Ceremony 2020". offies.london. 8 March 2020.
  21. 1 2 3 "The Offies 2022 Finalists and Nominations". offies.london. 20 February 2022.
  22. "2017: Full Run: Plays: Female Performance – Rona Morison – The Diary Of A Teenager Girl". offies.london. 2017.
  23. 1 2 "10th Anniversary Offies 2020 - Nominations - Winners". offies.london. 2020.