The Stage

Finborough and Landor lead Offies nominations

Published Thursday 26 January 2012 at 11:02 by Alistair Smith

London fringe venues the Finborough and Landor lead the nominations for this year’s Off West End Theatre Awards, with seven nods apiece.

The shortlist for the Offies sees the Landor’s production of Ragtime in contention across four categories, while the Finborough is recognised for its productions of Accolade, Foxfinder, Mixed Marriage and FEN.

The best new play category, meanwhile, sees a three-way battle between a trio of subsidised producing houses - David Eldridge’s Knot of the Heart at the Almeida, Vivienne Franzmann’s Mogadishu at the Lyric Hammersmith and Tom Well’s The Kitchen Sink at the Bush.

Three leaders of fringe venues will vie for the best artistic director award - Neil McPherson at the Finborough, Robert McWhir at the Landor and Sasha Regan at the Union.

Elsewhere, Richard Jordan, Will Young and Ben Monks of Supporting Wall and Danielle Tarento will compete for the best producer prize.

The best ensemble category, which for the first time will be sponsored by The Stage, will see Mogadishu and Ragtime compete with Tell Them That I am Young and Beautiful at the Arcola.

The winners will be announced on February 5.

The nominations in full are:

Best male performance

Aden Gillett in Accolade at the Finborough

Trystan Gravelle in Honest at the Queen’s Head Pub

Michael Matus in The Baker’s Wife at the Union

David Wilson Barnes in Becky Shaw at the Almeida

Best female performance

Kelly Burke for Zelda in the Charing Cross Hotel

Vicky Campbell for I Am A Camera at the Rosemary Branch

Lisa Dillon for Knot Of The Heart at the Almeida

Vinette Robinson for Tender Napalm at the Southwark Playhouse

Best new play

Knot of The Heart by David Eldridge at the Almeida

Mogadishu by Vivienne Franzmann at the Lyric Hammersmith

The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells at the Bush

Most promising new playwright

Luke Barnes for Chapel Street at the Old Red Lion

Rob Hayes for A Butcher of Distinction at the Cock Tavern

Dawn King for Foxfinder at the Finborough

Best director

Henry Bell for Three Farces at the Orange Tree

Blanche McIntyre for Accolade at the Finborough

Robert McWhir for Ragtime at the Landor

Best lighting designer

Howard Hudson for Burlesque at the Jermyn Street, Ragtime and Hired Man at the Landor

Alex Wardle for Uncle Vanya at the Arcola

Phil Webb for Henry VI Part I at the Rose Bankside

Best set designer

William Dudley for Snake in The Grass at the Print Room

Ruth Sutcliffe for Kingdom of Earth at the Print Room

Takis for His Teeth at Only Connect

Best sound designer

Neil Alexander for Snake in The Grass at the Print Room

Carl Prekopp for Macbeth at the Crypt of St Andrew

Dave Price for FEN at the Finborough

Best costume designer

Richard Kent for Mixed Marriage at the Finborough

Vissey Safavi for I Am A Camera at the Rosemary Branch

Martin Thomas for Ragtime at the Landor

Best movement

Joe Darke for Bound at the Southwark Playhouse

Drew McOnie for Dames at Sea at the Union Theatre

Lee Proud for Guys and Dolls at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Best ensemble

Mogadishu (Cast of School) at the Lyric Hammersmith

Ragtime at the Landor

Tell Them That I am Young and Beautiful at the Arcola

Best production

Accolade at the Finborough

Knot of The Heart at the Almeida

Shalom Baby at Theatre Royal Stratford East

Best production for young people

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings at the Little Angel

Noah’s Ark at the Blue Elephant

Tin Soldier by Tangere Arts at the Unicorn

Best entertainment

Sixty-six Books at the Bush and Westminster Abbey

This is Where We Got To When You Came In at the Bush

Sleeping Beauty at Above the Stag

Best new musical

Burlesque at the Jermyn Street

La Ronde at the Rosemary Branch

Little Women at the Lost Theatre

Best musical production

Parade at the Southwark Playhouse

Ragtime at the Landor

The Hired Man at the Landor

Best artistic director

Neil McPherson at the Finborough

Rob McWhir at the Landor

Sasha Regan at the Union

Best producer

Richard Jordan of Richard Jordan Productions Ltd

Danielle Tarento

Will Young and Ben Monks of Supporting Wall