Since 2010 the OffWestEnd Awards (Offies) has recognised the exceptional independent theatre that takes place beyond the glitz of London’s West End. In 2019, the awards expanded to include major fringe festivals throughout the UK.

Each year, the Offies assessment process is a huge undertaking. Last year we assessed almost 600 productions at over 115 venues for our main awards alone, with thousands more for our OffFest categories… no other theatre awards in the world sees so many shows at so many venues.

Winning an Offie is truly a triumphant feat, fending off competition from hundreds of productions, and thousands of creatives. The sheer scale of OffWestEnd theatre in London and beyond means competition is fierce and taking home an award is something to be immensely proud of. The awards have been the first to recognise hit shows including Fleabag and Operation Mincemeat, as well as supporting the sector by helping define the wider OffWestEnd community.

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ABOUT THE AWARDS:

Each year, the Offies assessment process is a huge undertaking. Last year we saw almost 600 productions for our main awards alone, with thousands more for our OffFest categories… no other theatre awards in the world sees so many shows at so many venues.

Each show is assessed by two independent Assessors, who each submit recommendations to the panel. Our expert Super Assessors will then attend productions which have been recommended to decide who will take home the gong at the end of the year. The final decision is overseen by an esteemed panel of critics. It's the most thorough and rigorous process in the independent theatre business and winning an award is not only an impressive accolade but also recognition from industry peers.

Our cohort of 80 assessors are the unsung heroes of the awards who generously volunteer their time to ensure we cover as many eligible shows as possible and recognise the best of the best. We hand-pick our accessors from the industry and the theatre going public and, from this year, we train them in our Excellency Philosophy to ensure parity and consistency in our assessments.

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FUNDING THE AWARDS:

It costs OffWestEnd over £100 per production to manage the awards, and we receive no public funding. In the past 15 years of the awards we have never charged venues or productions an entry fee, but that is becoming increasingly unviable in today's challenging arts environment. We are also the only awards of our scale and process that remains totally free.

We actively seek out sponsorship to help make the awards possible but we need a holistic approach with a regular reliable income stream to ensure the awards can continue their important work platforming the amazing, affordable and sustainable theatre that is produced OffWestEnd - giving the sector a platform to rival OffBroadway.

For now, the Offies will remain free of any entry fee, however, we ask that — if able — productions/venues make a donation to keep the awards alive!