Theatre News

Fringe festival Offbeat to return to Oxford

The partnership between Oxford Playhouse and Arts at the Old Fire Station will return for a second year

Will Longman
The Old Fire Station is one of the hosts of Offbeat
The Old Fire Station is one of the hosts of Offbeat

Following this year's inaugural event, Offbeat festival will return to the city of Oxford in 2017.

Offbeat is a partnership between Oxford Playhouse and Arts at the Old Fire Station, and gives Oxford audiences a chance to engage with contemporary work.

The ten day festival will see 70 shows in the city, with all tickets priced at £10 or less when it runs between 23 June and 2 July.

Applications for the event opened today, looking for innovative and exciting work which is new to Oxfordshire, and a panel, who are happy to accept work in progress, will curate a varied programme from submissions. Visit www.offbeatoxford.co.uk/apply to apply before 30 January 2017.

Highlights of last year's event included James Fritz's Ross & Rachel, a documentary screening of Yasmin Fedda’s Queens of Syria and stand-up comedy from the likes of Rosie Wilby and Viv Groskop.

Louise Chantal, director at the Oxford Playhouse said: "Offbeat will create a sustainable platform for new work in the city, whilst playing a significant role in the UK festival circuit, with a long-term focus on artist development."

Jeremy Spafford, director at the Old Fire Station said: "The world is complicated and we need to be able to look at complexity, nurture the talent that will help us understand the world around us better, celebrate difference and retain our sense of humour. Offbeat sums this up."