Scratch

Scratch Night is a curated evening of short works-in-progress, showcasing four developing pieces across two halves. It offers artists the chance to test new material in front of a live audience and gather feedback, while audiences get an early look at bold new work in a relaxed, social setting.

Each artist shares a 15–20 minute extract, followed by informal conversation and feedback afterwards. Scratch sits within our wider artist development programme (origin8), supporting local creatives as they shape projects towards their next stage.

Pay What You Decide (from £5)

Snakes & Ladders – Julia Romano

A tender call to action for love without conditions and a ladder out.

A working-class piece about inherited grief and the impossible choices facing young people in forgotten towns.

Some children land on ladders in their life — but some land on snakes.

Content warnings: Some reference to sexual assault.

Tales from the Armchair – Aunt Batty Knows…

Tales from the Armchair is an improvised show drawing inspiration from 1970s and 1980s TV such as Play For Today, Tales of the Unexpected, Hammer House of Horror and Armchair Thriller.

Created by four women, the piece explores the strangeness of the ordinary — where relatable characters and situations meet eerie surrealism. Aunt Batty Knows… ask whether the uncanny lives inside the mind, outside it, or somewhere in between.

Step into the odd world of Aunt Batty and see the everyday explored with razor-sharp observation, as they spin yarns that can be frightening, funny and utterly unexpected.

Performers: Karen Hughes, Gemma Hurst, Su Jackson, Rosie Šošić

Content warnings: May contain violence, death and images of horror.

Sam C Prior (Writer/Performer)

Sam C Prior is a Queer, Disabled, Multidisciplinary Creative on the Graeae Beyond project with Shakespeare North, developing their theatrical practice. This Scratch sharing explores the culmination of that project and Sam’s artistic trajectory moving forward – tackling injustice with care and humour.

Creative. Disabled. Queer. Radical activist cheer!

Content notes: Brief references to death (within the context of Icarus flying too close to the sun and drowning) and general references to social and ecological injustice.