It’s that time of year again. As the industry’s heavyweights, from the Oscars to the Brits, reveal their shortlists, we feel it is the perfect moment to announce our own nominations. Welcome to The Etties 2025, our annual celebration of the very best in fringe theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA).
What are The Etties?
Launched in 2022, The Etties are our way of championing what we love most: the grassroots of the theatre world. While other awards often gravitate toward big-budget productions, The Etties focus on the “beating heart” of the fringe; the smaller shows in intimate venues. We believe in celebrating the creatives who are shaping the future of theatre right now, rather than waiting until they hit the West End.
Our Shortlisting Criteria
How do we narrow down a year of theatre? We follow three main pillars:
- Venue Size: Generally, we focus on venues with under 100 seats. While we make occasional exceptions for TYA and regional productions, our goal is to highlight work in smaller, intimate spaces.
- Review Score: To be eligible, a show must have been reviewed by our team and awarded 4 or 5 stars. In 2025, we managed a staggering 985 reviews, giving us a sample size we believe truly reflects the depth of the fringe.
- New Writing: We are dedicated to fresh voices. Therefore, we only consider new writing for our nominations. We love the classics, but you won’t find any Shakespeare on this list!
The Process
Shortlisting is more of an art than a science. We monitor our reviews throughout the year to build a longlist, noting the shows that truly resonated with our reviewers. At year’s end, we sit down to whittle those lists down to a final six per category. It is subjective, yes, but it is a labour of love intended to spotlight the most special shows of the year.
2025 Award Categories
We will be announcing our nominations for each categories over the next two weeks.
- Drama
- Comedy
- Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA)
- Musical
- Regional
- Camden Fringe
- Best of the Rest (For those gems that defy categorization)
- Fringe Venue
- ET Reviewer of the Year (A special tribute to our dedicated volunteers)
When Will We Announce the Winners?
We are shaking things up this year! While we previously announced winners on our weekly radio show, we have retired the broadcast to focus on new ventures. We are currently planning something special for the big reveal. Watch this space for further announcements.
The winners will be crowned during the second half of February.
