Our Summer Scratch Night, offering a selection of new work from the most exciting artists in the region. This is a chance for artists to try out new ideas in front of an audience and for audiences to feed into the development of the next big thing!
Line Up Announced!
An Indian Abroad
Written & Performed by Pariah Khan; Directed by Eduardo Gam
Sacred places. Mythical sites. Nando's. Stifled by life in middle-class India, Krishnan is desperate to see more of the world. He takes a year out from his studies to visit the exotic island of Great Britain. Keen to seek out the locals and learn about life through their eyes: what does Krishnan's journey teach him about the world? What might he learn about himself? What happens when he falls in love with a native? An Indian Abroad is a satirical one man theatre show about gap year students, journeys of self-discovery from writer, comedian and professional wrestling manager Pariah Khan.
Asylum
Rafia Hussain for Derby Theatre, in association with Tamasha
Raza, a Syrian refugee in Derby, is about to be moved out of his temporary accommodation when the Aslam family decide to be the change they want to see in the world, and take him into their home. Little do they realise his arrival will force them to face the painful truths they have been hiding for years.
Asylum is part of Ignite, Tamasha’s Associate Producer Programme, supported by Arts Council England through the Sustained Theatre Fund.
Derby Theatre are also working in partnership with Maison Foo and Derby Refugee Advice Centre to make theatres a more welcoming space for Refugees and those seeking asylum. Please go to www.maisonfoo.co.uk/refugee-friends and email info@maisonfoo.co.uk to express interest in the events coming up.
The Gaze of Miracles
Smoking Guns Theatre
Smoking Guns have taken it upon themselves to create their own cult. Welcome to The Gaze. Old Spiritualism and modern day Capitalism are the perfect combination for a self-formed satirical religion. Led by an ancient creature known as The Master, the cult is looking for new recruits to join our ranks. We use live music, ritualistic chanting and a power-point presentation to make all your wishes come true. Do you want a great after-life? A wife? To have your baldness cured? All of that, and more, will become reality only if you come to see The Gaze.
I R A N
Ryan O’Shea
Aurora borealis comes in view… A cloud appears above your head… and a beam of light comes shining down, on you.
I R A N playfully deconstructs an 80’s cult hit whilst following the journey of a solo mute performer attempting to run away from time, emotion and reality. Pungent with the euphoric melancholy of electronic music, I R A N physically plays with text delivering a distorted narrative
investigating wider themes on language, love and anxiety.
THAT Girl
Shelley Draper
I always knew I had a one woman show burning up inside me and was working on poetry and comedy scripts… until October of 2017 when the Weinstein scandal broke. Shortly after, Fallon resigned from Government and we realised that parliament had it’s problems too. The subsequent surrounding media furore, voices and opinions, and my shouted response to all of that – most of the time assuming characters!, was the catalyst I needed to kick my arse into gear. So, I wrote my characters their own monologues that make up ‘THAT Girl’.
Audience Comments from Previous Scratch Nights
“Really enjoyed the event. Supportive atmosphere with a variety of acts and a relaxed setting. Would definitely attend again.”
“Excellent opportunity to showcase new talent.”
“It was so good and entertaining. First one I’ve ever been to and I feel like it really brought everyone together. So much support was given for all acts. Will definitely think about performing at the next one.”
“Amazing! Well organised, diverse acts and a warm welcome. Can’t wait to sign up for the next one.”
“It was brilliant, so enjoyable, and lovely to listen to such variation and supportive people!”
As the 2018 summer scratch takes place in National Refugee week we welcomed applications which look at migration and it’s wider themes so this was also considered within the shortlisting process.
We always get a lot of applications for our scratch nights and the process of deciding who is selected is a very difficult one, often with 3-5 members of staff feeding in, so we always encourage artists to apply again if they’ve not been successful on this occasion.