Scratch Nights

We started doing regular showings of rough performance ideas at the BATS out of site bar in 2013. The idea was to make stuff fast and get feedback over a beer. Initially a space to develop our own work, we found the forum to be incredibly rewarding as a testing ground for new ideas and material – some of which took us by surprise to spawn whole new works.

We wanted to share this good thing, so we opened the floor to any artist of the live persuasion interested in genuine performance experimentation. Joel operated Scratch Nights on the first Wednesday of every month, between 2013–14.

The series then evolved into bigger standalone Scratch Nachts, produced by Simon Haren, Sabrina Martin and George Fenn, the first of which took place at Fringe 2015, with over 150 guests, 20 acts, 3 bands and 2 noise complaints, subsequently winning ‘Innovative Concept’ at the Fringe Awards.