'I struggled to accept my hidden homelessness', says Offies exec producer
The Executive Producer of the OffWestEnd Awards, Denholm Spurr, is reflecting on living in his early twenties on friends' sofas and in gay saunas
A week on from the star-studded OffWestEnd Awards, celebrating the best of London’s independent theatre, the event's Executive Producer is describing how his journey navigating the industry hasn't been straightforward.
Starting his career as a trained actor immediately after drama school, Denholm found himself facing significant challenges as he spent three years homeless in his early twenties.
During this time, he relied on the kindness of friends and found makeshift shelter wherever possible, including sleeping on friends’ sofas, in his agent's office, and often using the fact that gay saunas are often open 24/7 to provide a de facto roof over his head.
Denholm said: “I realised fairly early on that I had a certain kind of value within gay male culture… That validation… gave me options, but not safety … but it was better than sleeping on the streets, so I would open Grindr and find someone who was willing to let me stay over.”
This homelessness began while he was training on a scholarship at drama school.
Towards the end of his course, Denholm experienced a serious mental health breakdown, partly due to the intensity of the training environment and lack of adequate support.
He also faced rejection from his family after coming out as gay.
'I didn't acknowledge I didn't have a home'
"I struggled to accept my hidden homelessness," Denholm explained to Hits Radio Pride.
"And it's kind of mad, looking back at my life back then, and even just talking about it, as it's been ten years since I finally stopped being homeless.
"One of the problems, I think, was that I didn't acknowledge I didn't have a home, because it wasn't the traditional experience of someone you'd imagine, which is someone, on the street, in a sleeping bag, or begging on the tube - my version of homelessness wasn't that.
"There's a whole cohort of hidden homeless, where people are couch surfing, or they're sleeping in precarious locations, just to avoid spending a night on the streets.
"It was three years of my life where I struggled to come to terms with the reality of my homelessness, and then when I did, I then found myself up against the challenges of the system."
'Surviving without art is almost not surviving at all'
He tells us it's a prevalent issue in his industry - and one the Government needs to take a serious look at.
Denholm explained: "My instinct, from an anecdotal experience, is that the issue is widespread across the creative arts, because it's such a precarious profession, and so under-invested, from a systemic point of view.
"We just don't have the right mechanisms to support artists, particularly in the grassroots, particularly in theatre.
"Artists that go to to sign-on with Universal Credit are told to get a 'proper job' if they don't get cast after, say, six months.
"The systems aren't there to support creatives.
"If you feel like making work is in your soul, which is how I felt as a young artist, it's very difficult to do anything else.
"Those people end up, I think, as a hidden homeless person in order to survive.
"Surviving without art is almost not surviving at all."
'Once you get out of it, you stop talking about it'
Denholm's life took a turn for the better in 2015 when he was finally housed.
He recalls sitting on his own bed for the first time in three years as a moment filled with tears of relief.
His inaugural acting role came through the homeless theatre company, Cardboard Citizens.
"Crucially, with hidden homelessness, one of the problems is, once you're out of it, you then find yourself not wanting to talk about it," Denholm said.
"If you ended up down that path, it's partly because you didn't view yourself as 'homeless', in the visual sense.
"Once you get out of it, you just stop talking about it, and that's a problem, because if nobody is willing to talk about it, then, as a society, how do we change it?
"It's an experience that's shaped me, and continues to shape me, to this day."
After this difficult chapter, Denholm built a career in independent theatre, acting in and writing several productions before becoming a leading figure within OffWestEnd.
He credits independent theatre as vital to his life during those challenging years.
Today, Denholm stands out as a working-class, neurodivergent, gay leader in the arts - a sector where theatre makers from working-class backgrounds make up just 7% of the workforce.
'It's a whole ecosystem - and the UK's independent theatre sector is the biggest in the world'
The biggest ever 'Offies' ceremony place last week at the iconic Central Hall in Westminster, as the awards celebrated their 20th anniversary.
West End favourite Jordan Luke Gage teamed-up with Daniel Krikler for an exclusive preview from Gage’s new musical, Redcliffe, while it was Drag Race UK’s Divina De Campo honoured with hosting duties for the 2026 event.
There was tough competition: in London alone, the Offies saw 120 venues being represented, and more than 500 productions being considered for an award.
Whilst celebrating independent creatives and spaces, the night also fetaured live performances from nominees and special guests, including Skedaddle Theatre’s core trio, Ilan Evans, Martin Kaspar Orkestar, and Gerel Falconer.
And for the first time, it was streamed online too.
Denholm reflected on another unforgettable evening, telling us how the industry is seeing big changes, with the 'OffWestEnd' scene 'coming to the end of its golden age'.
He said: "In terms of the independent theatre sector, the UK is the biggest in the world - there's no question about it.
"London alone has around 350 venues that are theatrical spaces, and the amount of production that covers is gargantuan.
"It's a whole ecosystem that exists throughout the entire city - and that's just the capital - with the Offies celebrating all of them, here, and in places like Edinburgh and Brighton, which also have also huge independent theatre scenes.
"The industry is constantly evolving, with new art forms - and when I took over the role, we had so many awards that the Offies kind of became unsustainable.
"What we did was abolish all the categories, and now what we have are eight areas of exceptional contribution.
"They have no set number of winners, and they are chosen by meeting the excellent standard set by that particular category, and that allows us to recognise theatre in different scales, from the huge venues to the small spaces we find above pubs and social clubs.
"The specialisms are there to ensure emerging art forms aren't marginalised, which makes the Offies really unique.
"But at the moment, performance pieces are on the rise, and that's bluntly because there's not enough money going around, and audiences want to see real stories.
"That has led to the creation of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, which has seen massive success, but the reason why that work is so present at the moment is because the cost of producing work is unsustainable.
"There's just no money to sustain these shows, so a way to solve that is writing, producing, and then performing the pieces yourself - but out of that, like we've seen this year, come some amazing pieces of work."
For Denholm - there's just one message about all of the shows that appear 'OffWestEnd'.
He said: "The crucial line is that 'OffWestEnd' venues are affordable, accessible, sustainable, and incredible.
"They're right on your doorstep, and you'll be surprised what you might find."
We have contacted the Government for a response.
You can find out more about the Offies and the hundreds of venues around London and the UK on their website.