The awards for independent and fringe theatre in London – The Offies – have announced the winners of their 2023 awards.
The 13th annual Offies 2023 Awards ceremony took place today, 12 February 2023, at Alexandra Palace Theatre in London.
The Offies are organised by OffWestEnd and recognise excellence, innovation and ingenuity in independent, alternative and fringe theatres.
To be eligible for this year’s awards, shows needed to have run for 10 performances or more over 2 or more weeks during 2022.
Through the year shows are nominated for the awards, forming a long-list; and then the Offies’ “super assessors” bring this down to a shortlist of finalists.
Offies 2023 Winners
SPECIAL AWARDS 2023
Artistic Director: Tarek Iskander, Artistic Director, Battersea Arts Centre
Producer: Bush Theatre
Special Achievement: John and Katie Plews, Upstairs at the Gatehouse
ONE OFF
Maggie Norris, The Big House
Blueprint Festival, Queens Theatre Hornchurch
Intervention 01, New Diorama
PEOPLE’S VOTE
Foodie Experience: Drayton Arms Theatre
Programmes: Orange Tree Theatre
Theatre Bar: The Vaults
Facilities: The Vaults
Most Comfortable: Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Most Welcoming: Barons Court Theatre
Online Info & Booking: Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Programming & Policy: Polka Theatre
Social Media Presence & Activities: Jack Studio Theatre
ONCOMM AWARDS
Into The Night / Original Theatre
Online (Audio)
The Waves / Holy Mountain Productions / Tamasha Theatre Company
OFF-FEST AWARDS
Camden Fringe
Dog/Actor / Threedumb Theatre / Etcetera Theatre
Voila! Europe
Pourquoi les vieux, qui n’ont rien à faire, traversent-ils au feu rouge? / In Itinere Collectif / Cockpit Theatre
Edinburgh Fringe
Earwig / Time and Again Theatre Company / Assembly Rooms
OFFIES
PRODUCTION (PLAYS)
Shedding a Skin at Soho Theatre
The Solid Life of Sugar Water at Orange Tree Theatre – WINNER
The Wonderful World of Dissocia at Theatre Royal Stratford East
We Were Promised Honey! at Soho Theatre
LEAD PERFORMANCE (PLAYS)
Rebecca Humphries, Blackout Songs at Hampstead Theatre – WINNER
Ragevan Vasan, The Animal Kingdom at Hampstead Theatre
Esh Alladi, The P Word at Bush Theatre
Eve Ponsonby, A Dead Body in Taos at Wilton’s Music Hall
Corey Montague Sholay & William Robinson, Bacon at Finborough Theatre – WINNER
SOLO PERFORMANCE (PLAYS)
Deborah Newbold, Lost in Blue at the Lion & Unicorn
Dame Maureen Lipman, Rose – Park Theatre – WINNER
Joseph Potter, The Poltergeist at Arcola Theatre – WINNER
Edie Campbell, Apples in Winter at Playground Theatre
Edwin Flay, The Quality of Mercy at Courtyard Theatre Hoxton
PERFORMANCE PIECE
Haley McGee, Age is a Feeling at Soho Theatre
Liz Kingsman, One Woman Show at Soho Theatre – WINNER
Anoushka Lucas, Elephant at Bush Theatre
Rosie Day Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon at Southwark Playhouse
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE (PLAYS)
Oli Hembrough, All My Sons at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch – WINNER
Caitlin Fielding, Monster at Park Theatre – WINNER
David Angland, Doctor Faustus at Southwark Playhouse
Mary Malone, The Prince at Southwark Playhouse
Rina Fatania, Favour at Bush Theatre
Richard James, A Sherlock Carol at Marylebone Theatre
DIRECTOR (PLAYS)
Matthew Iliffe, Bacon at the Finborough Theatre – WINNER
Maggie Norris, Mission at The Big House
Philip Wilson, Starcrossed at Wilton’s Music Hall
Paul Tomlinson, SUS at the Park Theatre
Nicky Diss, The Comedy of Errors at Fullers Pub Gardens
NEW PLAY
Joe White, Blackout Songs at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs
Neda Nezhdana, Pussycat in Memory of Darkness (Voices from Ukraine) at the Finborough
Tyrell Williams, Red Pitch at Bush Theatre – WINNER
MOST PROMISING NEW PLAYWRIGHT
Yasmin Wilde, Glitterball at Watford Palace/Riverside Studios
Pravin Wilkins, Moreno at Theatre503
Waleed Akhtar, Kabul Goes Pop/The P Word at Brixton House/Bush Theatre – WINNER
PANTO (CROSS-GENRE)
Beauty & The Beast at Watford Palace
Jack & The Beanstalk at Harrow Arts Centre
Robin Hood at Greenwich Theatre
Sleeping Beauty at Queens Theatre Hornchurch – WINNER
CABARET (CROSS-GENRE)
Pleasure Seekers, Bourgeois & Maurice at the Soho Theatre
Not F–kin’ Sorry, Not Your Circus Dog at Soho Theatre
The Butch Is Back, Reuben Kaye at Soho Theatre – WINNER
PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE (CROSS-GENRE)
Ensemble, Alice in Wonderland at Brixton House Theatre
Ensemble, Foxes at Seven Dials Playhouse – WINNER
Ensemble, A Gig for Ghosts at Soho Theatre
Ensemble, The Canterville Ghost at Southwark Playhouse
NEWCOMER (CROSS-GENRE)
Nkhanise Phiri, Alice in Wonderland at Brixton House – WINNER
Daniel Rock, Richard the Second at the Omnibus
Denise Laniyan, The Dwarfs at the White Bear
CHOREOGRAPHY / MOVEMENT (CROSS-GENRE)
Marion Mutin, Fashion Freak Show at the Roundhouse
Cressida Carre, From Here to Eternity at Charing Cross Theatre
Dannielle “Rhimes” Leconte, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World at Theatre Royal Stratford East – WINNER
ACCESS (CROSS-GENRE)
Perfect Show for Rachel / Zoo Co Theatre / Barbican – WINNER
The Paradis Files / Graeae / Queen Elizabeth Hall – WINNER
IDEA PRODUCTION (CROSS-GENRE)
It Don’t Worry Me at the New Diorama – WINNER
Psychodrama at Battersea Arts Centre
The Making of Pinocchio at Battersea Arts Centre
IDEA PERFORMANCE (CROSS-GENRE)
Louise Mothersole/Rebecca Biscuit, Evita Too at Soho Theatre – WINNER
Ensemble, The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much at The Omnibus/The Vaults
Ensemble, Trainspotting LIVE at Riverside Studios
IDEA DESIGN (CROSS-GENRE)
Cages at Riverside Studios – WINNER
Sun & Sea at The Albany
The Witches of Oz at The Vaults
TYA PRODUCTION (THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES)
I Want My Hat Back at Little Angel Theatre
Kinder at Little Angel Theatre – WINNER
Ready Steady Go at Polka Theatre
TYA PERFORMANCE (THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES)
Amy Loughton/Andy Umerah/Erika Poole/Phil Yarrow/Sera Mustafa, Crackers at Polka Theatre
Omi Mantri/Ryan Rajan Mal, Daytime Deewane at Half Moon Theatre
Ellie Carroll/Hector Dogliani/Will Lawrence/Lauren Cambridge/Jonny Morton, Jack at Chickenshed – WINNER
TYA WRITING (THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES)
Ian Nicholson/Sam Wilde, I Want My Hat Back at Little Angel Theatre
Azan Ahmed, Daytime Deewane at Half Moon Theatre – WINNER
Molly Freeman/George Bellamy, Kinder at Little Angel Theatre
TYA MUSIC/SOUND (THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES)
Jon Ouin/George Bellamy, Kinder at Little Angel Theatre – WINNER
Somin Griffin-Dave, Daytime Deewane at the Half Moon Theatre
Ben & Max Ringham/Owen Crouch, Gulliver’s Travels at Unicorn Theatre
TYA DESIGN (THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES)
Sam Wilde/Sherry Coenen, I Want My Hat Back at Little Angel Theatre – WINNER
Joe Hornsby/Verity Quinn, Ready Steady Go at Polka Theatre
Rosanna Vize/Jack Phelan/Jess Bernberg/Joshua Gadsby, Gulliver’s Travels at Unicorn Theatre
MUSICAL PRODUCTION
Operation Mincemeat at the Southwark Playhouse – WINNER
Ride at Charing Cross Theatre
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World at Stratford East Theatre
La Maupin at Lion & Unicorn Theatre
LEAD PERFORMANCE (MUSICAL)
Barry James, A Letter to Harvey Milk at Waterloo East Theatre
Luke Bayer, Diva: Live from Hell at Turbine Theatre – WINNER
Max Alexander-Taylor, The Lion at Southwark Playhouse
Collette Cooper, Tomorrow May Be My Last at Old Red Lion Theatre
Liv Andrusier, Ride at Charing Cross Theatre – WINNER
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE (MUSICAL)
Ash Weir, But I’m a Cheerleader at Turbine Theatre
Michael Mather, But I’m a Cheerleader at Turbine Theatre – WINNER
Kathryn Bond, Cinderella at Stratford East Theatre
Yuki Sutton, Ride at Charing Cross Theatre – WINNER
Holly Sumpton, Stranger Sings at The Vaults
DIRECTOR (MUSICAL)
Tania Azevedo, But I’m a Cheerleader at Turbine Theatre
Matthew Parker, Thrill Me at Jermyn St Theatre – WINNER
Sarah Meadows, Ride at Charing Cross Theatre
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Nick Barstow, From Here to Eternity at Charing Cross Theatre
Sam Young, Ride at Charing Cross Theatre
Jamie Noar, Say Yes to Tess at Camden People’s Theatre/Leeds Playhouse – WINNER
OPERA PERFORMANCE
Company & Orchestra, L’Incoronazione di Poppea at Arcola Theatre
Michael Lafferty, Raphaela Papadakis, Black, El Payaso
Company & Orchestra, The Cunning Little Vixen at Jacksons Lane – WINNER
OPERA PRODUCTION
Patience, Charles Court Opera at Wilton’s Music Hall – WINNER
H.M.S. Pinafore, Sasha Regan at Wilton’s Music Hall
The Paradis Files, Graeae at Queen Elizabeth Hall
NEW MUSICAL
Nadim Naaman, Broken Wings at Charing Cross Theatre
Olivia Thompson, La Maupin at the Lion & Unicorn – WINNER
Chris Bush/Miranda Cooper/Jennifer Decliveo, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World at Stratford East Theatre
VIDEO DESIGN (DESIGN)
Will Monks, Foxes at Seven Dials Playhouse
Douglas Baker, Ten Days in a Madhouse at Jack Studio Theatre – WINNER
Dan Light, Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon at Southwark Playhouse
SOUND DESIGN (DESIGN)
Calum Perrin, Ten Days in a Madhouse at Jack Studio Theatre – WINNER
Jamie Lu, The Blue House at Blue Elephant Theatre
Roshan Gunga & John Hoggarth, Brown Boys Swim at Soho Theatre
LIGHTING DESIGN (DESIGN)
Christopher Nairne, Blackout Songs at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs
Stuart Glover, Doctor Faustus at Southwark Playhouse
Prema Mehta, Super High Resolution at Soho Theatre
Aaron J Dootson, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me at New Wimbledon Theatre – WINNER
SET DESIGN (DESIGN)
Grace Smart, The Wonderful World of Dissocia at Theatre Royal Stratford East Theatre – WINNER
Libby Watson, Glitterball at Watford Palace Th / Riverside Studios
Rosanna Vize, Shedding a Skin at Soho Theatre
COSTUME DESIGN (DESIGN)
Charlotte Espiner, Cinderella at Theatre Royal Stratford East Theatre
Valentine Gigandet, Diary of a Somebody, Seven Dials Playhouse
Reuben Speed, Doctor Faustus at Southwark Playhouse – WINNER
Carla Joy Evans, The Straw Chair at Finborough Theatre
Correction (14 February 2023): We originally had the winner of best Opera Performance as Company & Orchestra, L’Incoronazione di Poppea at Arcola Theatre; however, the correct winner is Company & Orchestra, The Cunning Little Vixen at Jacksons Lane.
