The Stage

Clockwise from top left: Rose Theatre Kingston (photo: Jim Linwood); Attendees at Camden Fringe; Brockley Jack Theatre, London; Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham; Curve, Leicester photo: Ellie Kurttz); Theatre Royal Stratford East (photo: Richard Davenport)

INK

Based in Halesworth, Suffolk, this company provides an opportunity for writers to submit new work, have it read and then, for some, see it performed at the annual INK Festival. To date, it has presented more than 700 new short plays for stage and radio. Next year’s festival will be held on April 24-28, with submissions open until this September 1.
inkfestival.org

Theatre Deli

The arts charity has been running since 2008 and currently has two bases, one in Sheffield on Arley Street and another on Leadenhall Street in London. Both offer artist support through residencies, drop-ins, jams, festivals, co-productions and in-kind support. Look out for the membership schemes, which include opportunities to rent rehearsal space at discounted rates and participate in a range of classes.
theatredeli.co.uk

Camden Fringe/Lambeth Fringe

These are two of the best festivals in London for emerging theatremakers. Although applications for both have now closed for this year, they are still worth attending and include a number of networking and other career development opportunities alongside the shows themselves. Camden is longer established, having run since 2006, while Lambeth (formerly known as Clapham Fringe) is undergoing a rebrand and expansion this year.
camdenfringe.com / lambethfringe.com

Theatre in the Pound

This monthly scratch night at the Cockpit in Marylebone, London, offers individuals or companies the chance to perform a 15-minute slot for a fee of £20 (plus refundable £40 deposit). Tickets cost the audience just £1, hence the name. For longer pieces, the venue also runs a monthly showcase of rehearsed readings called New Stuff. Details on how to apply for both can be found via the website.
thecockpit.org.uk

Fuse Festival

This annual summer staple in Kingston upon Thames was formerly known as the International Youth Arts Festival and focuses specifically on work by young emerging artists (under 27 years of age). Venues include the Rose Theatre and Kingston College, as well as festival operator Creative Youth’s new home Fusebox and Kingston’s market square. The festival runs in June-July, and applications for 2025 open in November.
creativeyouthcharity.org

Up to Scratch

The Old Rep in central Birmingham has been running these monthly scratch nights since 2022. Previous performances have included plays and poems, as well as film and radio scripts, with many writers going on to enjoy professional success. It’s free to take part (and attend) – they only ask that you agree to share feedback on the other work, which seems a fair deal.
oldreptheatre.co.uk

_ and friends

Glasgow is home to several scratch nights, including the Tron’s Outside Eyes and Roughly Staged at Cottiers Theatre. The newest kid on the block is _ and friends (the event title is styled in lower case), which has been set up by theatremaker and producer Catriona MacLeod at the Old Hairdresser’s. She told The Stage: “Last year was a year of consistent rejections. I just thought: ‘Well, I will just do something myself.’” And she has – it made its debut last month and the next one is due to take place in October.
linktr.ee/andfriendsglasgow

Free Fringe

Taking a show to Edinburgh in August is still a viable option, especially if you take part in the Free Fringe, which was established in 1996 by Peter Buckley Hill (or PBH). The festival-within-a-festival doesn’t charge performers and covers costs through drinks sales and fundraising (participants are asked, reasonably, to help out with other shows). Be mindful that it is curated, so you’ll need to put in a convincing application (these usually open in October).
freefringe.org.uk / freefestival.co.uk

Scratch at the Jack

Held every two months at the Jack Studio in Brockley, south London, this scratch night organised by Tristan White and Joseph Lidster offers theatremakers the chance to share pieces of under 10 minutes in duration (scripts must be provided in the application). They also pass on audience feedback that is solicited after the show. It’s open to artists in a range of genres, from plays and film scripts to sketch comedy and spoken word.
brockleyjack.co.uk

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Leicester’s New Work Festival

Leicester Curve presents this annual showcase in March to “support and showcase the most dynamic and exciting talent from the Midlands”. Taking place in spaces throughout the building, and aimed at all ages, it platforms both new and existing productions (some from the Edinburgh Fringe), and offers a range of workshops aimed at emerging artists. Work on offer includes musicals, plays, comedy, dance and more.
curveonline.co.uk

Roots & Connections

This new scratch night at the Space in east London will debut in September and is currently open for applications (deadline August 5). It’s produced by SoulSpire Arts, which has put a call out for short plays, monologues or spoken word/poetry pieces that relate to the titular theme. The company’s mantra certainly doesn’t lack for ambition: “Bringing creativity to life, one masterpiece at a time”.
instagram.com/soulspirearts

The Plan

Presented by KDC Theatre at the Drayton Arms in west London, this mini-festival of new writing has just had its eighth iteration. Entrants are invited to write a piece based on the same opening line (this year’s was: “It’s not like we planned it”). Shortlisted scripts are then presented as rehearsed readings.
kdctheatre.com

The Sunday Fix

This monthly event at Barons Court Theatre is billed as “part Q&A, part scratch night”, and offers participants instant feedback on their work. It’s open to writers, actors and directors, and has a rolling submissions policy, meaning you can apply whenever you feel ready to share. To get a taste of what to expect, you can listen to previous sessions on the website.
baronscourttheatre.com

We Are Here to Write

A fortnightly online writing group for global-majority artists based in the South West. It’s run by Beyond Face, a new Arts Council national portfolio organisation that also produces scratch nights alongside a range of other initiatives supporting early career artists. Participant Feyaza Khan says: “I love that this group of people wants to challenge the traditions of theatrical writing, increase accessibility and allow people from every sphere living in the South West to be seen.”
beyondface.co.uk

Freelance Royalty

This is an innovative scheme run by Theatre Royal Stratford East that is designed to support arts freelancers living or working in east London. Benefits of membership include access to workshops and rehearsal space, surgeries with established professionals and access to scratch performances. Not bad considering it’s free to join.
stratfordeast.com

Fresh Ink

Hull-based theatre company Middle Child is hosting a new-theatre festival supporting writers from Hull to create and develop new plays in the city. Inspired by scratch theatre nights, it will showcase early versions of new plays especially commissioned for the festival. The inaugural pilot edition of the festival takes place later this month on July 20-21 at a pop-up venue on Pier Street in Hull’s Fruit Market.
middlechildtheatre.co.uk

Criterion New Writing

Run by writer Greg Mosse, this annual scheme offers six writers the chance to attend a series of script development sessions on the stage of the West End’s Criterion Theatre, followed by a showcase. The key point, according to the Criterion, is to offer dramatists used to writing for smaller spaces “the chance to develop their craft for larger venues”. It’s free to enter and applications open in September.
criterion-theatre.co.uk

Pleasance Futures

An umbrella term for a range of initiatives organised by the Pleasance in London and Edinburgh aiming to “act as an incubator for bold new theatremakers to make their mark”. These include the annual Futures Festival of work-in-progress shows Pleasance Producers, which offers sessions to aid companies and producers heading to the Fringe, and the Young Pleasance company, for aspiring theatremakers aged 16 to 21.

pleasance.co.uk