Welcome to the Etties 2025: the awards that care about the shows everyone else misses. We’ve worked with our reviewers to curate a list of gems that prove size isn’t everything. This isn’t a popularity contest; it’s a celebration of the art.
Some shows are either just difficult to put into a simple category; drama, comedy, musicals, etc, or are a genre where we simply don’t have enough to give them their own awards category. So instead we do that terrible thing of just lumping them all together and try our best to compare chalk with cheese! It really is the only way to make sure some of them get recognised.
So we introduce you The Etties Award for The Category Without Title, the best of the rest that we felt didn’t fall under any of the other awards.
You can read more about The Etties here. Winners will be announced during our first ever Instagram Live, details to be announced soon.
Here is the Etties 2026 shortlist for Best Regional Theatre.
Relic @ The Coronet Theatre
A “bewildering, bewitching, and utterly surreal” experience, Relic at the Coronet Theatre was a true masterclass in artistic play. Performance artist Euripides Laskaridis delivered a “gloriously exceptional” physical performance, inhabiting a stage cluttered with the detritus of existence, from broken plaster to fake trees, while undergoing multiple grotesque and comic transformations.
The nomination recognizes the show’s audacious ability to disrupt expectations and invite the audience into a meticulously choreographed world of “seeming chaotic nonsense.” Whether howling at the moon, performing ludicrous toilet humour, or storytelling in rapid-fire French, Laskaridis kept the audience “shrieking with laughter” while subtly exploring deeper themes of time and memory. It was an unforgettable, “wild ride” that left us feeling uplifted, activated, and entirely altered.
A Brief case of Crazy @ Riverside Studios
Kinetic, heart-warming, and “impeccably timed,” A Brief Case of Crazy at Riverside Studios proved that you don’t need dialogue to tell a deeply resonant story. Performed by the up-and-coming Skedaddle Theatre, this physical comedy combined slick slapstick, mime, and puppetry to spin a kitsch office rom-com about shyness and social anxiety.
The nomination celebrates the production’s “unbridled joy” and its ability to jump seamlessly between Chaplin-esque routines and poignant tragedy. Rowan Armitt-Brewster’s wordless performance as Thomas was a masterclass in physical characterization, while Lennie Longworth displayed incredible versatility in multiple roles. With a rich soundscape and striking puppetry that delved into the protagonist’s childhood memories, the show was a refreshing reminder that in theatre, much like that mysterious briefcase, it’s truly what’s on the inside that counts.
It’s Your Role @ Canada Water Theatre (Peckham Fringe)
A “cosy, comical escape,” It’s Your Role at the Peckham Fringe brought the world of tabletop roleplaying to the stage in a way that was both “surprisingly intimate” and hilariously unpredictable. Blending improv, storytelling, and Dungeons & Dragons mechanics, the show invited the audience to become part of the adventure—quite literally, by drafting a viewer into the party as a lead character.
The nomination celebrates the show’s unique ability to build a sense of community. Led by Dungeon Master Ben Welford, whose range of character voices kept the narrative fluid and funny, the cast navigated a whimsical “one-shot” quest involving mythical cookie recipes and legendary teapots. By making complex game mechanics accessible and encouraging silly audience contributions (via the legendary “name goblet”), It’s Your Role proved that the most magical theatre happens when the audience is given a seat at the table.
Circus Piddly @ Waterloo Millennium Green
“Piddly by name, but not piddly by nature,” Circus Piddly brought all the charm of a classic big top to the heart of London. Nestled in Waterloo Millennium Green, this “deliciously unpolished” production was a testament to independent spirit and grit, founded by Sam Goodburn and Sam Morley with little more than a dream and a tent sourced from the Czech Republic.
The nomination is a nod to the show’s high-energy absurdity and incredible value. Goodburn serves as the circus’s “beating heart,” juggling, unicycling, and tightrope-walking with a self-aware “acknowledged rubbishness” that masks truly impressive skill. Accompanied by hula-hoopers, plate-spinners, and even a saxophone soloist, the show offered a refreshing alternative to the slicker, high-budget spectacles of the city—proving that flaming batons and a bit of public humiliation are the perfect ingredients for a wild, wonderful night out.
Mrs Dalloway @ London Library
An “outstandingly creative and profoundly respectful” re-imagining, Mrs Dalloway at the London Library took Virginia Woolf’s classic novel off the page and into the streets of Mayfair. Staged by Creation Theatre to mark the book’s centenary, this immersive production used headsets and site-specific performance to translate Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style into a “revelatory” theatrical experience.
The nomination recognizes the production’s breathtaking elegance and technical ambition. With three actors portraying different facets of Clarissa Dalloway’s mind simultaneously, the play moved from the wood-panelled library stacks out into the real-world bustle of London, culminating in a triumphant party scene where the audience became guests in Clarissa’s world. Adapted and directed by Helen Tennison, this was a “glorious and affecting tribute” that didn’t just re-imagine a classic, it reanimated it.
Sirena @ The Glitch
Mesmerising, atmospheric, and subversively funny, Sirena at The Glitch reclaimed the myth of the siren for the 21st century. This debut opera by Kirsty Ferguson-Lewis challenged traditional monstrous depictions with a sharp feminist perspective, blending haunting electronic soundscapes with sublime, three-part vocal harmonies.
The nomination celebrates the production’s ability to pack an incredible emotional and thematic punch into just 45 minutes. Under the direction of Selwin Hulme-Teague, the three performers; Ferguson-Lewis, Ilenia Cipollari, and Franziska Böhm, brought a mix of power and vulnerability to the stage, moving sinuously through the intimate, “almost claustrophobic” space. With its witty modern touches (like the earworm ‘Finance 300’) and ethereal lighting, Sirena was a bewitching example of how contemporary opera can find a vibrant, accessible home on the fringe.
