Off West End, the agency supporting the work of independent, alternative and fringe theatres in London, has now announced the 89 finalists for 28 of its Offies awards categories.
In 2018, Offies assessors were invited to 400 shows across 80 venues across London, resulting in 430 nominations across 28 Offies categories. The Offies panel of assessors and critics have now agreed on 89 finalists.
These 28 awards cover five design categories, eight categories for plays, nine categories for musicals and opera, and six other categories – for Ensemble, Performance Piece, TBC (shows that defy conventional categorisation), and shows for Young People (for ages 0-7, 8+ and 13+).
Some shows, such as The Rink at Southwark Playhouse, boast several finalists, while many small venues across London, including the Hope Theatre, Jack Studio Theatre, Little Angel Theatre, Old Red Lion and White Bear, also feature. The list also includes shows like Misty which successfully transferred from its original run at the Bush Theatre to a season at Trafalgar Studios.
Geoffrey Brown, director of Off West End, said: “2018 was another amazing year for Off West End theatre in London, and the Offies recognise the extraordinary talent and creativity of performers, designers, directors, producers and many others at these theatres across London – who are usually working with limited budgets and within many other constraints – and still producing all this wonderful work.”
In addition to these awards, the Offies also offer a People’s Vote, where the public can vote for their favourite venue across 9 categories – voting is open until 13 January 2019.
Offies winners will be announced at the Offies 2019 Awards ceremony which will be held in the refurbished Grand Hall at Battersea Arts Centre on Sunday 3 February 2019. It will be the ninth year of these awards.
Full list of Offies finalists
Design
Costume Design
Gabriella Slade for Six at the Arts Theatre
Jonathan Lipman for Harold & Maude at the Charing Cross Theatre
Pam Tait for Rothschild & Sons at the Park Theatre
Set Design
Bethany Wells for Distance at the Park Theatre
Francis O’Connor for Harold & Maude at the Charing Cross Theatre
Simon Daw for Humble Boy at the Orange Tree Theatre
Lighting Design
Andrew Ellis for Eugenius! at the Other Palace
David Plater for The Outsider at the Print Room
Zoe Spurr for Tiny Dynamite at the Old Red Lion
Video Design
Daniel Denton for Misty at the Bush Theatre
Joshua Pharo for The Shape of the Pain at the Battersea Arts Centre
Will Duke for I’m a Phoenix, Bitch at the Battersea Arts Centre
Sound Design
Jack Elliot Barton for Lifeboat at the Jack Studio Theatre
Luke Swaffield for Forgotten at the Arcola Theatre
Matt Padden for Mirabel at the Ovalhouse
Sam West for Becoming Shades at the Vaults
Plays, Musicals & Others
Ensemble
Bury the Hatchet, presented by Out of Forest Theatre at the Hope Theatre
East, presented by Atticist at the King’s Head Theatre
Freeman, presented by Strictly Arts at the Canada Water/Pleasance
Performance Piece
Arinzé Kene in Misty at the Bush Theatre
Bryony Kimmings in I’m a Phoenix, Bitch at the Battersea Arts Centre
Adam Kashmiry in Adam at the Battersea Arts Centre
TBC (shows that defy conventional categorisation)
Creation (Pictures for Dorian) by Gob Squad at the Southbank Centre
Dollywould by Sh!t Theatre at the Soho Theatre
Frankenstein by BAC Beatbox Academy at the Battersea Arts Centre
Production For Young People 0-7
Not Now Bernard at the Unicorn Theatre
Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyngo Theatre/Polka Theatre
Huddle – Filskit Theatre/Unicorn Theatre
Production For Young People 8+
Beginners at the Unicorn Theatre
Goodnight Mr Tom – British Theatre Academy/Southwark Playhouse
The Adventures of Curious Ganz – Silent Tide/Little Angel Theatre
Production For Young People 13+
Off the Grid at the Half Moon Theatre
The End of Eddy – Untitled Projects/Unicorn Theatre
Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow at Chickenshed
Musicals & Opera
Male Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Gary Trainor in Rothschild & Sons at the Park Theatre
Leon Scott in Midnight at the Union Theatre
Stewart Clarke in The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
Female Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Genevieve McCarthy in Mythic at the Charing Cross Theatre
Mairi Barclay in Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
Tessa Kadler in Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
Male Performance In A Musical
Jonathan Carlton in Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
Mark Inscoe in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Queens Theatre Hornchurch
Rob Houchen in Eugenius! at the Other Palace
Female Performance In A Musical
Caroline O’Connor in The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
Gemma Sutton in The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
Natasha Barnes in Wasted at the Southwark Playhouse
New Musical
Grindr the Opera at the Above the Stag
Six at the Arts Theatre
Wasted at the Southwark Playhouse
Choreography
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille for Six at the Arts Theatre
Fabian Aloise for The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
William Whelton for Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
Musical Director
Adam Gerber & Tom Self for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Queens Theatre Hornchurch
Joe Bunker for The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
Zach Flis for Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
Musical Production
Once at the Queens Theatre Hornchurch
Pippin at the Southwark Playhouse
The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse
Opera Production
Der Schauspieldirektor/Bastien und Bastienne by Pop-Up Opera at various venues
La Traviata at the King’s Head Theatre
The Rape of Lucretia at the Arcola Theatre
Plays
Most Promising New Playwright
Ben Weatherill for Jellyfish at the Bush Theatre
Joe White for Mayfly at the Orange Tree Theatre
Lisa Carroll for Cuckoo at the Soho Theatre
New Play
Arinzé Kene for Misty at the Bush Theatre
Kenneth Emson for Plastic at the Old Red Lion
Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm for Br’er Cotton at the Theatre 503
Will Eno for The Open House at the Print Room
Male Performance In A Supporting Role In A Play
Malcolm Sinclair in Pressure at the Park Theatre
Nitin Ganatra in End of the Pier at the Park Theatre
Wil Johnson in Leave Taking at the Bush Theatre
Female Performance In A Supporting Role In A Play
Kate Terence in The Sword of Alex at the White Bear Theatre
Kristin Milward in A Funny Thing Happened…Oncology Unit… at the Finborough Theatre
Lindsey Campbell in The Open House at the Print Room
Male Performance In A Play
Andrew Umerah in Sweet Like Chocolate Boy at the Jack Studio Theatre
Harry McEntire in Homos, or Everyone in America at the Finborough Theatre
Irfan Shamji in Mayfly at the Orange Tree Theatre
Jonathan Broadbent in Humble Boy at the Orange Tree Theatre
Female Performance In A Play
Louise Jameson in Vincent River at the Park Theatre
Monica Dolan in The B*easts at the Bush Theatre
Sarah Niles in Leave Taking at the Bush Theatre
Sinead Cusack in Stitchers at the Jermyn Street Theatre
Director
Daniele Sanderson for Freeman at the Canada Water / Pleasance
Femi Elufowoju for Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives at the Arcola Theatre
Jack Gamble for The Daughter in Law at the Arcola Theatre
Omar Elerian for Misty at the Bush Theatre
Production
Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties at the Southwark Playhouse
Misty at the Bush Theatre
The Outsider at the Print Room
