THE POST OFFICE SCANDAL THE STAGE PLAY (REVIVAL)

My name is Lance Nielsen, I am the writer and co-director of False Accounts - Exposing the Post Office Cover-Up, a satirical drama stage play which exposes the full story of the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history. Along with Dickon Tolson and with the assistance of many other people, we brought this important story to the stage two years ago, back in 2022, but I first wrote the play in 2012. Our show tells the entire story of the Horizon Post Office Scandal, in an entertaining, concise and informative style which enables the audience to grasp the full scale of this national tragedy.

Over 40 former and current Subpostmasters came to see our production in 2022 / 2023, with many victims of the scandal fully endorsing our production and giving us their full support. It is because of their encouragement, and the new facts emerging that we have decided to stage it again.

We were the first people to tackle this subject within the dramatic narrative which the recent 2024 television drama has now brought fully into the public consciousness. But the story for the Subpostmasters who were victims of this scandal is far from over. The public inquiry continues, whistleblowers are coming forward, with more facts are coming to light all time.

False Accounts was first performed in 2022 in London & Birmingham, and again in London in 2023. Due to lack of proper funding we were extremely limited in where we could take the production and had to turn several other venues down. Now we want to take the play to Scotland, Wales and The North of England and to do that we need your help.

What is The Horizon Post Office Scandal? In 1999 Horizon, a new computer system was installed in Post Offices nationwide. There was only one problem, it was prone to bugs and the designers were aware of this. Soon hundreds of Postmasters across the UK were experiencing mysterious shortfalls of thousands of pounds that they were liable for. From award winning playwright Lance Nielsen, The Outcasts Creative shines a satirical light on what would soon become the biggest miscarriage of justice in British History.

The issue escalated with hundreds facing financial bankruptcy as they struggled to remedy the situation out of their own pocket, all while the Post Office did nothing to rectify the problem. In fact, they had an aggressive policy of prosecuting Postmasters, securing criminal convictions, and using the courts to strip them of all their financial assets. Even when those in charge knew these convictions were unsafe, they still let innocent people go to prison.

Why do the play again? I have been following the story of the Subpostmasters since 2009, in fact I first wrote an earlier version of this play back in 2012 but new information kept coming to light, so I was forever updating it. We are extremely passionate about this story, which will only continue to gain interest in the public domain, with the public inquiry continuing well in 2024. As Theatre is an immediate art form, we're able to continually up date the show with new facts as they emerge.

Why can't you apply for Arts Council Funding? We have before, and we will again, but unfortunately the main grant for touring production companies requires that at least 75% of the venues be in England (Not Scotland or Wales) thus for us it is unlikely to be successful, so we need to seek support.

Where and how will the funds be spent? Taking a play on tour is expensive. Aside from wages, costs of accommodation and travel have skyrocketed in recent years and ours is a company of twelve people. The budget listed below is the absolute minimum required and ensures everyone is properly paid and all the basic costs for the show are covered.

We are looking for donations, no matter how bigt or how small, to reach our target of £43,690. We're also looking for sponsors for the show, so do not hesitate to get in touch if you or your business would like to be involved in this way.

Help us to continue telling the story of the biggest miscarriage of justice of our times. We must continue to tell this story until those responsible our properly brought to account.

WE THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE!

Lance & Dickon - The Outcasts Creative