Abigail Thorn #Offies 2022 #NewNoms: ONEOFF Special Award

Abigail has been a pioneer for trans rights, not only across the sector of theatre but also in her online presence, starting with her acclaimed Philosophy Tube channel, which provided accessible insights into thought and argument and moving on to her powerful coming out clip, advocating her pride at being a trans woman and actress. She has been a mover and a shaker in the fight for recognition of trans equal rights, she has put herself online and on the line. She has argued with clarity and forcefulness. And at the same time she has pioneered trans representation in the theatre, notably her amazing accomplishment of reading all of Shakespeare’s plays over live stream during lockdown, 24 hours a day for five days, which raised the phenomenal amount of £100,000 for The Samaritans. She is currently (Sept/Oct 2022) starring in her own play “The Prince” at Southwark Playhouse, written in iambic pentameters using Shakespeare to explore identity and gender, which features trans and cisgender actors working alongside in a seamless way.

She is a woman who is a fighter but “at home in herself”, an activist and actress who just wants – and I quote her – “to treat everyone with kindness and patience”. We salute her achievements so far. There will be undoubtedly more to come. Abigail is a worthy recipient of our OneOff award.