Offbeat Announces Full Programme For Second Annual Festival

The full programme is today announced for the second annual Offbeat, Oxford's fringe festival of performing arts, taking place from 23 June - 2 July 2017 at Oxford Playhouse and Old Fire Station. In its second year, Offbeat expands to present 71 shows over ten days, spanning theatre, comedy, spoken word, music and dance, of which over half will be UK premières, a quarter created by local Oxfordshire-based artists, and all new to Oxford.

The theatre programme offers something for everyone - from Room, a one-on-one experience for a blindfolded audience member and Wrecked taking place inside a crashed car, to Idiot Child's new production What if the plane falls out the sky?, a preview of performance poet and playwright Richard Marsh's new show Todd & God, and James Rowland's A Hundred Different Words for Love, following his UK tour of Duncan Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing. Weekends offer shows for families, including two for under-3s and a dance programme featuring celebratory Kathak dance (Aunusthan), tap (Fall Out) and new work by world-class choreographers in triple-bill Organic Entity.

A year on from the European referendum, there is fierce political theatre from #TORYCORE, a satirical Brexit tale in Blowfish Theatre's Boris - The Musical!, and comedian Chris Coltrane's stand-up Make Love and Smash Fascism. Further comedy highlights include Mark Thomas's new show A Show That Gambles on the Future, Tiernan Douieb's Miserably Happy, and returns from 2016 performers including Radio 4 presenter Viv Groskop, the multi-award winning Sajeela Kershi and Sameena Zehra, fresh from her success at Melbourne Fringe.

In a new partnership with BBC Introducing, Offbeat will also curate four evenings of live music from local and emerging musicians. Line-up to be announced on the website at the end of April.

Ticket prices for all performances will be £10 or less.

Festival Producer Vicky Graham said today, "I am so excited that the shared vision of an entrepreneurial arts centre and an established regional theatre has created this opportunity for the performing artists of the future to meet adventurous local and national audiences. I cannot wait to see Oxford - a city steeped with heritage and culture - humming with a rich, complex and entertaining contemporary programme, and look forward to putting Offbeat firmly on the festival map."

Offbeat is a partnership between Oxford Playhouse and Arts at the Old Fire Station, and supported by Arts Council England.

To see the full 2017 programme visit:

www.offbeatoxford.co.uk

https://issuu.com/oxfordplayhouse/docs/single_pages_for_issu

Twitter: @OffBeatOx

About Oxford Playhouse

Oxford Playhouse is a theatre for everyone. Built in 1938, The Playhouse presents and produces a wide range of live performance in the main theatre, the Burton Taylor Studio and across the region in Playhouse PlaysOut projects. The programme includes the best of British and international drama, family shows, contemporary dance and music, student and amateur shows, comedy, lectures and poetry, seen by over 150,000 people each year.

The Playhouse produces and tours its own shows, hosts Artists in Residence and runs a new Writers' Attachment Programme (Playhouse Playmaker), with talent development and supporting local artists and companies at the heart of everything we do. 2016 saw the return of The Playhouse producing on its main stage with the world premiere of the official sequel to Peter Pan, Peter Pan in Scarlet and a co-production of Sand in the Sandwiches starring EdWard Fox as John Betjeman. There was also the inaugural Off Beat Festival, a showcase of new work in partnership with Arts at the Old Fire Station; and the Young Players Festival in March which presented work written, performed and watched by young people from Oxfordshire. The theatre's Learning and Participation team works with over 15,000 people each year through post show discussions, workshops, work experience, holiday schemes and two youth theatre companies.

We are a charitable trust and National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England, and are supported financially by the University of Oxford and Oxford City Council. For more information, see www.oxfordplayhouse.com

About Arts at the Old Fire Station
A thriving arts centre in the heart of Oxford, showcasing the best of local and international performance and artwork, which takes a risk and entertains.
- Theatre, comedy, dance, music, visual art and design.
- Space for performance, exhibitions, rehearsals, meetings, classes, innovation and debate.
- Working closely with the homelessness charity, Crisis, helping to build the confidence and skills of people who are homeless through projects and opportunities.
www.oldfirestation.org.uk | www.facebook/artsattheoldfirestation | @ArtsatOFS
The Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AQ

About BBC Introducing

BBC Introducing in Oxford plays unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar music, discovering the best acts in and around Oxfordshire. Tune in to BBC Radio Oxford every Saturday night from 8pm, or subscribe to the weekly podcast, to hear live sessions, gig highlights, interviews and the latest unsigned music.

To post a comment, you must register and login.