Oxfordshire Festival of Speech, Drama & Musical Theatre
Welcome to Oxfordshire Festival of Speech, Drama & Musical Theatre!
The Oxfordshire Festival of Speech, Drama & Musical Theatre is a vibrant new celebration of live performance, taking place at the Corn Exchange, Witney on 21 and 22 November 2026. Created by the West Oxfordshire Performing Arts Foundation (WOXPAF), the Festival has been designed to bring people together through creativity, learning, confidence-building and community spirit.
Class bookings are now open and applications close on 1 November 2026. We look forward to welcoming you in November.
Class Bookings Now Open!
Whether you are stepping onto a stage for the first time or are an experienced performer, the Festival offers a welcoming and supportive environment in which to develop your skills, share your work and celebrate your achievements.
Open to children, young people and adults, the Festival is non-competitive and focuses on participation, personal growth and constructive feedback. Every participant will receive written and/or verbal feedback from an experienced adjudicator, helping them continue their creative journey with confidence.
Festival Classes
We are delighted to offer classes across a range of speech, drama and musical theatre disciplines:
Recital & Spoken Performance
- Poetry
- Prose
- Shakespeare
- Spoken Word
Acting & Drama
- Solo Acting
- Duologues
- Group Scenes
Musical Theatre
- Solo Musical Theatre
- Duet & Ensemble Musical Theatre
Classes are available in four age categories:
- Junior (7-10)
- Intermediate (11-14)
- Senior (15-18)
- Adult (19+)
Participants may enter one or multiple classes and will perform in a supportive environment that celebrates creativity, communication and personal development rather than competition.
Financial Bursaries
Thanks to the generosity of Witney Town Council and other supporters, we are delighted to offer bursaries to help ensure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to participation.
If you would like to apply for support with Festival class or workshop fees, please complete the bursary application form linked below. Applications will be considered confidentially by the WOXPAF Trustees, who will allocate available funding as fairly as possible with the aim of supporting participation across the Festival.
The deadline for applications for the 2026 festival is November 1st. Any applications sent after this date may be reviewed at the discretion of the WOXPAF trustees.
Further information about eligibility and the bursary process can be found in the Festival Rules and Regulations.
Inclusion and Accessibility
The Festival has been designed to be inclusive at its heart. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the benefits of the performing arts, regardless of background, experience level or circumstance.
Bursaries are available to support participation, and we are committed to working with participants to identify reasonable adjustments that enable them to take part confidently and fully.
Please contact us at info@woxpaf.org with any queries relating to our accessibility and inclusion provisions
Workshops
We are currently finalising our workshop programme and will be announcing the full schedule shortly.
Alongside the adjudicated classes, the Festival will offer a range of practical, skills-focused workshops led by experienced performing arts practitioners. Planned topics include audition techniques, an introduction to Shakespeare, and improvisation skills, with sessions designed to support performers at different stages of their creative journey.
Whether you are looking to build confidence, develop new skills, explore a different aspect of performance or simply try something new, the workshops will provide a welcoming and supportive environment in which to learn, create and connect with others who share a passion for the performing arts.
Further workshop announcements, including session details, age recommendations and booking information, will be shared in the coming weeks.
Community Showcase
The Community Showcase is a celebration of the rich variety of performing arts activity taking place across Oxfordshire.
We are inviting local performing arts groups and organisations to take part by presenting a short performance, sharing a recent achievement or showcasing a project they are passionate about. The Community Showcase is an opportunity to connect, collaborate and celebrate the creativity that exists across our communities.
At WOXPAF, we believe that we are each other's audiences, and this event is designed to bring performers, organisations and supporters together in a spirit of encouragement and mutual support.
We have some exciting groups preparing to join us to share the stage, keep an eye out for announcements in the coming weeks!
Get Involved
There are many ways to be part of the Festival:
- Perform in one or more classes
- Attend a workshop
- Join us for the Community Showcase
- Volunteer as part of the Festival team
- Support the Festival through sponsorship or donations
- Help spread the word within your local community
Together, we can create a Festival that celebrates creativity, confidence, communication and community.