Offies 2022 Awards Ceremony – Winners Announced

The 12th annual theatre awards took place online on Scenesaver for the second year whereby anyone could view the ceremony live from their own homes for free. Presented by the director of the Offies – Geoffrey Brown, from Battersea Arts Centre the award ceremony receives hundreds of submissions and recognises talent from otherwise unseen talent, companies and shows. It is a sprawling beast of an awards ceremony with more than 40 awards which feels apt given it reflects the Off West End landscape in London, the UK and beyond. Founded in 2011 to shine a light on the importance and value of Off West End theatre.

ONCOMMS

This is the second year of the OnComms which was created torecognise online theatre work. Although live theatre returned in May 2021 there was still a need to recognise online theatre which attracted over 107 shows submitted for consideration.

Live streaming– The Black Cat from Threedom theatre at The Space

Recorded: Direct with Minimum Edits– Touchy from 20 Stories High

Recordings: Edited with Significant Edits– Joint Winners The Picture of Dorian Gray from five theatres filmed in 5 days and Cruise from Aria Entertainment

Audio Series– Red breast from Chronic Insanity Theatre

Series– Lear Alone from And Tomorrow Theatre Company and Elysium Theatre Company

Platform-based–Joint Winners Henry V from Guilford Shakespeare Company and Night Staring at High Res at Finborough Theatre

Immersive–Anthropocence: The Humam Era Gym Jam theatre, Oxford

Innovative–Land Skeins from No More Superheroes

OFFFEST for theatre in festivals

Camden Fringe – Juliet & Romeo from Giggle Riot Theatre

Edinburgh Fringe Online – Dark Spirits from Black House / In House / Assembly Fest

Edinburgh Fringe Live – 1902 by Nathan Scott-Dunn / Saltire Sky Theatre

Voila! Europe – Unforgettable Girl by Created a Monster

ONEOFFS

The OneOffs were created to acknowledge the incredible and extraordinary efforts and resilience from theatremakers during lockdown which continues to affect theatre to this day.

Original Theatre Online

Polka Theatre

The Cockpit

OFFIETTES

Theatre for Children 0-5 – Stick Man from Frickle Productions

Theatre for Children 5-11 –Dust from Z-Arts and Half Moon Theatre

Theatre for 11+ and for Families – Private Peaceful from Barn Theatre / Boxless Theatre

OFFIES 2022 Winners

Nearly 30 categories presented in four groups Design, Musical, Opera and Panto, Special Focus and Plays

Design

Costume Design – Justin Nardella The Sugar House / A Million Freds Prds/ Finborough

Set Design – David Shields for The Pleasure Garden / Above the Stag

Lighting Design – Joint Winners Ben Jacobs for Salome at Southwark Playhouse and Robbie Butler for Wolves are Coming For You at Jack Studio Theatre

Video Design – Paul Barritt for Roots at 1927 and Wilton’s Music Hall

Sound Design – Max Pappenheim for Old Bridge at Bush Theatre

Musical, Opera and Panto

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical –Beth Burrows Call Me Madam at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Lead Performance in a Musical – Joint Winners Rachel Tucker and Lewis Cornay from John and Jen / Southwark Playhouse

Musical Director – Benjamin Levy  for Godspell from Ye Olde Rose and Crown

Director of Musicals – Mykal Rand for Five Guys Named Moe at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Musical Production – The Pleasure Garden at Above the Stag

Opera Performance – Mark Stone for Die Walkure, Grimeborn Arcola at the Hackney Empire

Opera Production – La Nonne Sanglante from Gothic Operaat Hoxton Hall

Panto – Beowulf from Charles Court Opera at the Kings Head

MP Emily Thornberry gave a wonderful shoutout to all the theatres in Islington (there is a lot!) Heart warming messages for just being here, getting through the hard times, still standing

Special Focus

Performance ensemble–A Place for Weby Talawa Theatre and Park Theatre

Company Ensemble-the winner is DJ Bazzer’s Year 6 Disco from Chewboy Productions at the Golden Goose Theatre

Choreography/Movement–Robbie O’Reilly for Boys in the Buff from LAMBCO Prods at the Drayton Arms Theatre

IDEA

The Idea categories consider how Innovative, Devised, Experiential or Atypical a show was.

Idea Performance – Rachel-Leah Hosker, Oseloka Obi & Terry O’Donovan for Skin Hunger from Dante or Die at Stone Nest

Idea Production – The Language of Kindness from Wayward at Shoreditch Town Hall

New Play – Cordelia O’Neill for Anything is Possible if You Think About It Hard Enough at the Southwark Playhouse

Most Promising New Playwright – Igor Memic for Old Bridge

Supporting Performance in a Play – Joint winners Angie Amra Anderson for Sold from Kuumba Nia Arts and Nicholas Day for Yellowfin

 from Jessue Anand Productions at Southwark Playhouse

Supporting Performance in a Play – an extra award for a puppeteer Sebastian Chambers with a dog at Theatre Peckham

Lead Performance in a Play– Three Winners

Performance Piece – Ronke Adekoluejo for Lava at the Bush Theatre

Director (Plays) – Lucy Betts for Tryst at the Chiswick Playhouse

Production (Plays) – Grenfell: Value Engineering  from Nick of Time Prodns & Playground Theatre at the Tabernacle which was dedicated to the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell fire.

Well done to all nominees, finalists and winners! Nominations for the 2023 awards are currently being put forward, you can find out more about the work the Off West End Awards do championing the fringe theatre scene by visit their website and Twitter feed.

Written by Tasnim Saddiqa Amin.

To find out more about the Off West End Awards, visit here…

For our interview with Off West End Awards Director Geoffrey Brown, visit here…