The OffFest is the Offies Commendation for shows at theatre festivals, or theatre shows at general arts festivals.
This webpage covers the OffFest for festivals in 2021 (Awards 2022)
Click HERE for details of the OffFest for festivals in 2020 (2021 awards) and 2019 (2020 awards)
In 2021, the OffFest was offered to the following festivals:
- Voila! Europe (Nov 2021) at the Cockpit Theatre, London
- Greater Manchester Fringe (Sept 2021)
- Edinburgh Fringe (Aug 2021) – various venues
- Camden Fringe (Aug 2021) – various venues
- Footprints Festival (May-July 2021) at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London
- Brighton Fringe (May-June 2021) – focusing on online theatre
- Living Record Festival (Feb 2021) – see below for a list of nominations
The assessment process varies depended on the nature of the festival – some were via a team of existing online reviewers and bloggers and others were via peer reviewers.
Nominations, finalists and winners are listed below. The winners were announced at the Offies Awards Ceremony 2022 held on 20 February 2022 from 7pm, hosted by Scenesaver:
VOILA! EUROPE
Unforgettable Girl / Elisabeth Gunawan and Created A Monster (UK)
Awakening / Ladder Art Company (Hungary) / supported by Hungarian Cultural Centre
Withered Optimism / OftheJackel (UK)
RadioLove / Studio Total (Finland)
Are You Done [Solitude_is_Bliss] / Francasixiə (Italy / UK)
Going Home / Scallabouche Theatre Co (Hungary)
Transit / Hunhu Productions (Hungary / UK / Zimbabwe)
I Am / Kupalaucy Independent Theatre Group (Belarus)
GREATER MANCHESTER FRINGE (1-30 September)
JOINT WINNERS
Proper Adult / written and performed by Megan Relph / Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
Toxic / by Dan Lovatt / Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
Other nominations are listed below:
ONLINE
Fruit Salad / Selina H Productions / Online
LIVE
Bumblebee / Nathan Cassidy / Salford Arts Theatre
Krapp’s Last Tape / Rising Moon Productions / Kings Arms
Your Playground Voice is Gone / by Libby Hall / Salford Arts Theatre
EDINBURGH FRINGE (6-30 August)
Nominations are listed below:
ONLINE
Dark Spirits, Black Humor / InHouse Theatre / Assembly Showcatcher Online
Push / Popelei / Online
The Nobodies / by Amy Guyler / Chalk Line Theatre / EdFringe Online
Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted / Gash Theatre / Assembly Showcatcher Online
Aalaapi / La Messe Basse / Assembly Showcatcher
Open / with Megan Hill / by Crystal Skillman / Flying Carpet and The Tank / EdFringe Online
Fow / Deaf & Fabulous / Taking Flight / Summerhall Online
Mimi’s Suitcase / from Ana Bayat / Assembly Showcatcher Online
Under the Floorboards / from Simon Shaw / Online at TheSpaceUK
Call Me Elizabeth / Kayla Boye / EdFringe Online
The Entertainment / by Katie Bonna / commissioning support from The North Wall / Summerhall Online
Dishonour / performed by Mimi M Khayisa / written & directed by Terrence Turner / EdFringe Online
LIVE
1902 / by Nathan Scott Dunn / Saltire Sky Theatre / Leith Arches
Mediocre White Male / Will Close and Joe von Malachowski / Assembly Roxy
Shook / by Samuel Bailey / New Celts productions and Twisted Corners / TheSpaceUK
Madhouse / by M Craig / theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
Skank / by Clementine Bogg-Hargroves / Pleasance Courtyard
Rossetti’s Women / by Joan Greening / theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
CAMDEN FRINGE (2-29 August)
Juliet & Romeo / Giggle Riot Theatre / The Cockpit / Upstairs at the Gatehouse (to 22 Aug)
ONLINE
We’ll Dance on the Ash of the Apocalypse / Melissa-Kelly Franklin / Online
LIVE
kiss her / Jack the Lass Theatre / Camden People’s Theatre
Village Wooing / Jonas Cemm / Etcetera Theatre
Meat Cute / Patch Plays / Hen and Chickens Theatre
The Rice Krispie Killer / Little Shadow Theatre Co / Lion & Unicorn Theatre
Naughty / by Andrew Houghton / Etcetera Theatre
Horrigan and Howell: A Sketch Too Far / Horrigan and Howell / Hope Theatre
Bad Teacher / by Erin Holland / The Queens of Cups / Etcetera Theatre
FOOTPRINTS FESTIVAL (17 May – 1 August 2021)
This festival ran at the Jermyn Street Theatre.
The Odyssey / by Homer / translated by Emily Wilson / directed by Tom Littler
Double Bill: Flanders & Swann and Lehrer / written and performed by Stefan Bednarczyk
The Shock of the Old / written and performed by Terence Blacker
On Arriving / performed by Sophia Eleni / written by Ivan Faute / directed by Cat Robey
Saviour / written and performed by Helen Reuben / directed by Donnacadh O’briain
Adorable Dora / written and performed by Rosemary Ashe / directed by Ben Stock / musical director Paul Knight
The Girl Who Was Very Good at Lying / written by Eoin McAndrew / directed by Fay Lomas
Dazzling Divas / written & performed by Issy Van Randwyck / Musical Director Michael Haslam
How I Learned to Swim / performed by Merryl Ansah /written by Somebody Jones / directed by Khadifa Wong
Mac & More / written by Harold Pinter and James Hayes / performed by James Hayes
BRIGHTON FRINGE (May-June 2021)
The focus here was on online theatre shows.
The winner for the Brighton Fringe OffFest for 2021 is:
The Tragedy of Dorian Gray / Blue Devil Productions
credit: DFPhotography
Finalists and other nominations are listed below:
Jerk / Mudlarks Theatre
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Improbable New Musical…and Helen / Coily Dart Theatre
Am I a Terrible Person? / Ant Lightfoot / with Spun Glass & Living Record
Heads or Tails / Skye Hallam
We’re All Strangers Here / Hitcher Encounters
Charlotte Brontë Snares The Suitor / Lemon Squeeze Productions
Open Return / Blink Theatre
Doody / Aaron & Caitlin
Voices from Home / Broken Silence Theatre
The Old House / Kate Maravan
Nevergreen / We the Wonderful & Spun Glass
The Great Gatsby / Wardrobe Theatre & Wardrobe Ensemble
Sleeping Beauties / Storytelling Choir
Clean: The Musical Online / Different Theatre
LIVING RECORD FESTIVAL (Jan-Feb 2021)
Nominations are listed below:
Breaking Up With Reality/ Nod at the Fox
Dance Of A Million Pieces / Gemma Rogers & Cary Crankson
Finney’s Ghost / David Fox & Eleanor Barr
NeverGreen / The Wonderful
Omar and Lee: Shit Samaritans / Omar Ibrahim & Lee Drage
Ram of God / Theodora van der Beek
The Anarchist Mobile Library / Tessa Bide Productions
This Little World / The Giddy Round