It’s been a while for us here at Off Book. Like many creative organisations we were hit hard by COVID. We lost a dear friend and colleague, and I too have suffered a blow to my health. We did what we could to put things together online and have taken some much needed time off in 2022 and 2023.
However, things are happening! So, I wanted to give you all a bit of information on what we have planned for our future.
Scripts & Adaptations
I’ve been preparing a business plan to offer scripts and adaptations to schools, amateur groups, and even fringe professionals. These scripts will be available to purchase as a ‘performance pack’. You’ll be able to get 10 comb-bound copies of these scripts along with a licence to perform the show for up to 10 performances for a single price. Our hope is that any sales of these performance packs will allow us to invest in producing more shows in the future.
Family Shows
I have dearly missed directing shows. More than that, I’ve dearly missed presenting these shows to the family audiences that we served best. I’m currently developing a new family show that ought to be ready in 2025.
The Chimes – Live
During COVID we produced an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ The Chimes this is a story with a lot of relevance to the world today and while we stand by what we produced with minimal resources and minimal prep time, I’d love to present a live version of this show. For the last year I’ve been reshaping the script as my health has allowed specifically to present to in-person audiences. My hope is to bring it to the first audience this winter (2024).
Scene Partner
Another project born of the lockdowns, Scene Partner was meant to be an interview show where we spoke to performers about their careers and their love of the craft of performing. Ill health hasn’t allowed for production or development of this show, but I’m currently in talks with a producer and with a few performers to try and reignite this show.
Twelfth Night
In 2021, we recorded a virtual version of Twelfth Night with an incredibly talented cast. Sadly, at the time we were ready to publish the show we had our Facebook account hijacked. The result of this has been copyright strikes that have prevented us from posting the show more publicly. I feel extremely sad that all of the hard work of the amazing cast didn’t see a more widespread audience, but it has been a tricky area to navigate for us.
On a more personal note, I never really managed to take to time to thank all of the creatives who have been reaching out to offer help over the last two years. Many know that we lost people, even more have reached out to offer support. I went off and taught for a year and have taken much needed time out to rest and recouperate. I’m not totally healthy yet, nor am I sure that any of this is the best course of action. It is scary after two years to be thinking of stepping back into the creative space again. But as and when health allows, I’m doing what I can to position things so that Off Book can once again showcase some skilled creatives and bring our silly brand of fun to audiences. So please be patient with us.
All the best, Martin Williams – Co-founder Off Book Theatre.