Each year, the OffWestEnd Awards (Offies) recognise exceptional independent theatre that takes place beyond the glitz of London’s West End. All three operas nominated for this year’s Offies in the Best Production Category were produced by companies founded and led by Trinity Laban alumni. The Opera Makers (created by alumni Panaretos Kyriatzidis and Becca Marriott) went on to win the production award.
On 17 March 2025, the winners of this year’s OffWestEnd Awards were announced in a ceremony held at Central Hall Westminster. 2025 marks the 15th anniversary of the Offies and in celebration of this important milestone, the organisation underwent a major relaunch, designed to ensure a clearer and more prestigious process for recognising excellence in OffWestEnd Theatres. The awards were hosted by Divina De Campo, with performances including Mischief Comedy, the London Gay Men’s Chorus, West End star Frances Ruffelle, and Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream winner and current star of White Rose, Tobias Turley. The awards have removed the current category model, introducing a streamlined system around eight broad Areas of Exceptional Contribution: production, staging, performance, design, music, creation, inclusion, and innovation.
All three operas nominated for this year’s OffWestEnd awards in the production category were produced by companies founded and run by Trinity Laban alumni. These include The Barber of Seville (at Wilton’s Music Hall by Charles Court Opera, run by alum John Savournin); Maria de Rudez (at Battersea Arts Centre by Gothic Opera, run by alumni Alice Usher, Béatrice de Larragoïti, and Charlotte Osborn); and La Bohème by The Opera Makers (at Arcola Theatre, run by alumni Panaretos Kyriatzidis and Becca Marriott). The latter went on to win the production award. The cast of Maria de Rudez and The Barber of Seville were also finalists in the performance category, while Charles Court Opera’s Napoleon: Un Petit Pantomime was nominated for best production.
Denholm Spurr, Executive Producer of the Offies, said: “The Offies are unique. Nowhere else is there an awards system of this scale, scope, and rigour – assessing thousands of shows across hundreds of venues through an unparalleled cohort of assessors. These assessors – practitioners and enthusiasts alike – make the Offies the most deeply embedded theatre network in existence.”