Islington’s Pleasance Theatre has always been known for its top picks when it comes to profiling up-and-coming theatre and its famous Scratch Mondays series is no exception.
Scratch Mondays combines a handpicked selection of new, dynamic and developing theatre from Pleasance Futures with a carefully curated evening of enjoyment. Expect variety, new ideas and fun; it’s a chance to see artists present brave, new work at the first stages of development. And here’s everything coming up!
A Pleasance Scratch – 21 October, 7:30pm
Bringing together a handful of the best developing artists, it’s a chance for you to have the first glimpse at what these talented young theatre makers are creating next. You’ll find shows spanning every genre and topic imaginable and more, including the below:
Connect Four Death Battle – A brand-new LGBTQ+ variety game show that pits two players against each other for your amusement, played out through the ancient, deadly art of.. Connect Four
A Life of Time – An intercontinental, inter-genre, cinematic caper of accusations, accidents and accents, created by international physical theatre company VOLOZ.
No Sleep Until the Apocalypse – Katie is afraid to leave the house… Jack can’t understand why. But he can’t stop watching. BBC News, Sky News, Al Jazeera, 24/7.
Reach Out and Touch Me – Meet Ella. Sex obsessed. Join her spread-eagled and ready for action as she celebrates all things … sex.
Pauline – A brutally honest journey of self discovery talking to Mum for the first time about “the grandmother I never knew”.
When Dolly Met Dom – This is a story about Dolly. And it’s also a story about Dom. Soon, it will be a story about Dolly and Dom… but not just yet.
My Cape is Invisible – Fresh water is the new gold. The efforts of four eco warriors wane as authorities tighten access to it. Their last resort is to approach Mama K who lives in the place where the soil is still good but they fear her supernatural powers.
Dear Black Woman & Dear Black Man – 28/29 October, 8pm
Excellence are an ever growing platform showcasing the work of black British creatives. The industry is changing and voices are getting louder. They’re creating a space where artists are driven to produce work that’s strong, courageous and unapologetically black. Come along to this two day scratch festival hosting the voices of black writers.
Glass Splinters – 4 November, 8pm
Glass Splinters returns to The Pleasance Theatre for its third event – a collection of new pieces featuring or inspired by women from history. Journey down long forgotten paths, uncover hidden secrets, celebrate battles fought and won and shine a light on accomplishments. After all…well behaved women seldom make history.
Untold Stories – double bill – 25 November, 8pm
Untold Stories present Two One-Act plays that explore the question: when the system lets you down, where do you go from there? Estimated Waiting Time by Mark Lindow tracks an unlikely friendship on a council estate swing set whilst Stevie by Kit Sinclair follows one Catholic girl’s sexual rampage upon discovering being gay, is a sin.
Kiss My Scratch – 2 December, 8pm
A shameless come on/ work in progress show showcasing some of the most exciting experimental and alternative performance work. Kiss My Scratch presents an evening where anything can go – drag, cabaret, multimedia, comedy, queer and spoken word just for starters.
This article was written in partnership with Pleasance Theatre. Find out more about Pleasance here.