Off Westend Plays and Playwrights – Off Westend Plays and Playwrights

Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read have been on a mission since 2006 to celebrate the full spectrum of Off West End theatres – by first creating a campaigning listings site to proclaim the existence and accessibility of these plucky little theatres (OffWestEnd.com), and then by launching large-scale awards (The Offies) to encourage increasing numbers of theatre-goers into the heady darkness and dangerous passion of these little powerhouses perched above a pub, tucked under a railway bridge, built around a butcher’s shop or suspended above a shopping centre.

The Adopt A Playwright Award, and all our charitable activities since, grew out of these early exhilarating madcap campaigns. With the help of our magnificent Angels and Trustees, our focus now is to concentrate solely on developing ways to give under-privileged writers of talent a leg up in their careers – to level the playing field for as many as possible of the brilliant but penniless writers caught in an increasing cost of living crisis that is pricing them out of London and pricing them out of writing at all. Our award is dedicated to bringing greater financial security to precarious lives, building a community around the least connected and helping each winner curate the writing of a new full-length play across a year of tailored support.

Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read have been on a mission since 2006 to celebrate the full spectrum of Off West End theatres – by first creating a campaigning listings site to proclaim the existence and accessibility of these plucky little theatres (OffWestEnd.com), and then by launching large-scale awards (The Offies) to encourage increasing numbers of theatre-goers into the heady darkness and dangerous passion of these little powerhouses perched above a pub, tucked under a railway bridge, built around a butcher’s shop or suspended above a shopping centre.

The Adopt A Playwright Award, and all our charitable activities since, grew out of these early exhilarating madcap campaigns. With the help of our magnificent Angels and Trustees, our focus now is to concentrate solely on developing ways to give under-privileged writers of talent a leg up in their careers – to level the playing field for as many as possible of the brilliant but penniless writers caught in an increasing cost of living crisis that is pricing them out of London and pricing them out of writing at all. Our award is dedicated to bringing greater financial security to precarious lives, building a community around the least connected and helping each winner curate the writing of a new full-length play across a year of tailored support.

Adopt A Playwright Award

We gather a family of Angels every year around one playwright raising £10,000 to buy them the time to write their next full length play. Our aim is to ensure that talented new writers from backgrounds that offer little encouragement or financial support do not give up but are given a fair chance to prove themselves and take their place among our culture’s storytellers.

Adopt A Playwright Award

We gather a family of Angels every year around one playwright raising £10,000 to buy them the time to write their next full length play. Our aim is to ensure that talented new writers from backgrounds that offer little encouragement or financial support do not give up but are given a fair chance to prove themselves and take their place among our culture’s storytellers.

The Writers’ Block

In 2025, in response to the escalating housing and cost-of-living crisis, we started looking for genuinely affordable rented properties for under-privileged writers who need to live in London for the one or two years necessary to raise their profile, hone their skills and progress their careers in theatre, TV or film.

The Writers’ Block

In 2025, in response to the escalating housing and cost-of-living crisis, we started looking for genuinely affordable rented properties for under-privileged writers who need to live in London for the one or two years necessary to raise their profile, hone their skills and progress their careers in theatre, TV or film.

Caedmon Company

We are proud to support a company of artists, set up by our very own winning writer Steve Hevey, who use the power of creative writing & performance to help improve the well-being and empowerment of children and young people.

Caedmon Company

We are proud to support a company of artists, set up by our very own winning writer Steve Hevey, who use the power of creative writing & performance to help improve the well-being and empowerment of children and young people.

Latitude Project

In 2022, we were delighted to support Middlesbrough award-winning playwright Ishy Din in his ambitious new venture to encourage kids in secondary schools in the Tees Valley to think beyond employment in traditional industries and start acquiring the technical skills to find jobs in tv and film. To find out more….

Intent New Theatre

We strive to be the agents of change, powerful and strongly built for our small size. When required we can even be ocean-going and in 2015 we were invited to Kosovo to help build fringe theatre in a war-torn country hoping to give this fledgling democracy the opportunity for free expression and debate through the medium of theatre.

Schoolwrights

In 2013/14 we helped expand a pilot project begun by Fin Kennedy that involved parachuting playwrights into urban schools to work with teenagers on professional plays centred around their lives and experiences. We were thrilled to propel the initiative into becoming the flagship education project for Tamasha Theatre Company.

More info

To find out more or become involved in any of these projects, please contact Sofie here.

Donate

To make a donation please make a bank transfer to:

Off West End Plays & Playwrights Ltd
Charitable Aid Foundation
Sort code: 40-52-40
Account: 00023389

Thank You!