Winners of OffWestEnd Awards (Offies) For Theatre Announced At London Ceremony
The OffWestEnd Awards (known as the Offies), established in 2010 to celebrate independent theatre across Off-West End theatre, have announced the winners of this year’s awards at Central Hall, Westminster, in a ceremony hosted by drag sensation Divina de Campo.
Celebrating the breadth, boldness and innovation of independent, alternative and Fringe theatre across London and beyond, this year’s ceremony brought together artists, producers, venues and creatives from across the sector for an evening recognising outstanding achievement in OffWestEnd theatre.
The 2026 Offices also marked a major milestone for the awards, with the ceremony broadcast live online for the first time in the organisation’s history in collaboration with The Theatre Channel and ChewBoy Productions, expanding access to audiences far beyond the room and allowing the work of the sector to be shared more widely than ever before.
The Offies have a long history of recognising exceptional work before it reaches wider mainstream acclaim, with past winners including Baby Reindeer, Fleabag and Operation Mincemeat. This year’s winners continue that tradition, reflecting the extraordinary range of work being created.
Since 2025 The Offies have operated a streamlined awards model that moves away from traditional fixed areas. Instead, work is recognised across a set of broad and flexible Areas of Exceptional Contribution, allowing the awards to respond more accurately to how theatre is made and experienced across the independent sector.
Throughout the year, Offies assessors reviewed thousands of potential nominees across over 500 productions at over 100 venues. This year more than 50 awards across 10 areas were given to people working across more than 30 productions.
Denholm Spurr, Director of OffWestEnd said: “The Offies exist to champion the extraordinary creativity, ambition and resilience of the independent theatre sector. This year’s winners represent the very best of OffWestEnd, and it was a privilege to celebrate their work in a ceremony that could also be shared with audiences watching online.”
The ceremony featured live performances from host Divina De Campo, Ilan Evans, Martin Kaspar Orkestar, Gerel Falconer, Jordan Luke Gage and Daniel Krikler, as well as nominees from A Brief Case of Crazy, showcasing the eclectic talent and originality that define the sector.
OffWestEnd Awards 2026 Winners
Production
● Brixton Calling / Southwark Playhouse Borough / Kick It Anywhere
● L’Elisir d’Amore / St. Paul’s Church, SW4 / St Paul’s Opera
● Letters From Max / Hampstead Theatre / Hampstead Theatre
● Mama Goose / Stratford East / Stratford East
● One Man Musical / Underbelly Boulevard / Flo & Joan And Avalon
● Scenes from the Climate Era / Playground Theatre / Gate Theatre
● The Mystery of Irma Vep – a Penny Dreadful / Jack Studio Theatre / Jack Studio Theatre
● The Paper Dolls / Little Angel Theatre / Little Angel Theatre, Polka Theatre
● When the World Turns / Southbank Centre / Oily Cart
Staging
● Rowan Armitt-brewster / A Brief Case of Crazy / Riverside Studios
- Ashley Pearson / L’Incoronazione di Poppea / Jacksons Lane
- Tim Supple / The Passenger / Finborough Theatre
● Jamie Hale, Marcella Rick, Claire Beerjeraz / Transpose Pit Party: SUBVERSE / Barbican
Performance
● The Cast / After Sunday / Bush Theatre
- Samuel Barnett, Victoria Yeates / Ben and Imo / Orange Tree Theatre
- Rochelle Rose / Black Power Desk / Brixton House
- Paul Keating / Clive / Arcola Theatre
- Ben J Packer / Dick Whittington Pantomime / Harrow Arts Centre
- Theano Papadaki / L’Incoronazione di Poppea / Jacksons Lane
- Anthony Spargo, Louise Cielecki / Peter Pan: A Pantomime Adventure / Greenwich Theatre
- Rachael Bellis / The Sea Horse by Edward J. Moore / Golden Goose
● Julia Mcdermott / Weather Girl / Soho Theatre
Design
● David Shields / Beauty and the Beast: A Horny Love Story / Charing Cross Theatre
- Derek Anderson / Brixton Calling / Southwark Playhouse Borough
- Isabella Van Braeckel / Die Rheinnixen / Battersea Arts Centre
- Mydd Pharo, Cheng Keng / Loop / Theatre503
- Design Creative Team / Not A Word / Barbican
- Oliver Hymans, Dan Southwell / Overheard in a Towerblock / Little Angel Theatre
- Katie Scott, Eve Oakley / Period Parrrty / Soho Theatre
- Anisha Fields, Jonathan Chan, Maia Kirkman-richards / The Firework Maker’s Daughter / Polka Theatre
- Mona Camille / The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights / Park Theatre
● Karl Swinyard, Kate Bannister / The Mystery of Irma Vep – a Penny Dreadful / Jack Studio Theatre
Sound and Music
● Max Pappenheim, Tendai Humphrey Sitma, Max Runham / Brixton Calling / Southwark Playhouse Borough
- The Band & Ashton Moore / Cry-Baby, The Musical / Arcola Theatre
- ABH Beatbox (alexander Belgarion Hackett) / Dracapella / Park Theatre
- John Patrick Elliott, Giles Thomas / KENREX / Southwark Playhouse Borough
- Jonathan Darbourne And The Band / La Cenerentola / Jacksons Lane
- Estelle Charlier, Martin Kaspar Orkestar / La Manékine / Barbican
- Leo Geyer / The Elixir of Love (Re-imagined) / Arcola Theatre
● Gerel Falconer, 3D Williams / Tones – A Hip-Hop Opera / Brixton House
Creation
● Diane Samuels, Titania Krimpas / As Long As We Are Breathing / Arcola Theatre
- David Javerbaum, Adam Schlessinger / Cry-Baby, The Musical / Arcola Theatre
- Jack Holden, Ed Stambollouian / KENREX / Southwark Playhouse Borough
- Katsiaryna Snytsina / KS6: Small Forward / Barbican
- Megan Prescott / Really Good Exposure / Soho Theatre
● Phillip Ridley / Tarantula / Arcola Theatre
Innovation
● Malakaï Sargeant, Khadija Raza, Will Monks / …blackbird hour / Bush Theatre
- Khadija Raza, Malakaï Sargeant / …blackbird hour / Bush Theatre
● Oli Savage / The Lost Library of Leake Street / The Glitch
Industry & Inclusion
● Futures Theatre / Argos Archives / Omnibus
- Liam Holmes / Mr Jones / Finborough Theatre
- Georgia Brenchley, Louis Edwards, Alex Marshall, Giada Rocca / Peter Pan: A Pantomime Adventure / Greenwich Theatre
- Joanna Turner, Baseless Fabric / The Elixir of Love (Re-imagined) / Arcola Theatre
- Alexandra O’neill / Too Many Books / Upstairs at the Gatehouse
● Oily Cart / When the World Turns / Southbank Centre
Title picture:
Left Top Jamie Hale Transpose Pit Party SUBVERSE Barbican. Left Bottom Rachael Bellis The Sea Horse by Edward J. Moore Golden Goose. Middle Futures Theatre Argos Archives Omnibus. Top Right Megan Prescott Really Good Exposure Soho Theatre. Bottom Right: Rowan Armitt-Brewster A Brief Case of Crazy Riverside Studios
