News

THE QUEEN'S Theatre is overjoyed to yet again be nominated for a prestigious Off West End Award – this time for best set design.

Assessors from the Off West End Theatre Awards, who have been watching hundreds of productions throughout 2011, have nominated Queen’s Head of Design Mark Walters for Best Set Designer based on his stunning work in last summer’s fantastically popular The Rocky Horror Show.

Last year’s inaugural Off West End Awards ceremony saw enormous success for the Queen’s, which scooped no fewer than three accolades – The People’s Favourite Production Award for Camp Horror, The People’s Favourite Entertainment Award for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as well as an award for Most Welcoming Theatre.

Mark Walters’ set for The Rocky Horror Show, which enjoyed a sell-out run last May and June, featured Frank N Furter’s magnificent castle framed by a gigantic pair of red stilletos. The design drew huge critical acclaim from the media, who praised it for being “inventive”, “creative” and “inspired.”

The OffWestEnd.com website, which champions London’s independent theatres, launched the annual awards – also known as The Offies - in 2010 to celebrate excellence in productions outside the West End. The Queen’s is part of more than 80 participating venues across the capital and the winner for Best Set Design will be chosen by a panel of top critics at this year's awards ceremony on Sunday 5 February.

The public can also vote for the Queen’s in categories including Most Welcoming Theatre and Best Theatre Bar – by visiting the Off West End website on www.offwestend.com, clicking on The Offies link on the right of the page and following the voting instructions. The closing date is 22 January .