Our open-call jam nights for writers, actors, directors and ensembles.
Every second Thursday of the month at The Others in Stoke Newington!
A war of words
A shard of paper
An inkling of an idea
The Scrap is a monthly event, and we accept applications on a rolling basis from ensembles, writers, directors and actors!
TELL. ME. MORE.
The Scrap is a monthly open-call night for new writing, designed to showcase freshly developing texts for performance, and bring artists together to collaborate and keep their instincts sharp – while celebrating communal creativity!
The Scrap works in a hybrid form, with two different categories of showcase: the Scratch and the Jam.
THE SCRATCH
The Scratch segments of the night are more along the lines of what you’d be used to from a theatre scratch night. This is a chance for ensembles who have already been preparing a piece to do a work-in-progress performance of their work in front of an audience.
The Scratch is great for
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Theatre companies or ensembles who have a new piece they’ve been working on, and are ready to share it in front of an audience,
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Any piece of theatre that already has a team behind it, and has been undergoing previous development,
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Artists who are ready to document a version of their work, or to invite programmers, producers, agents and others to see their stuff.
For The Scrap, NST tries to place no strictures on form, content, genre, team or style for our scratches: absolute minimal gatekeeping. All we ask is that you be adventurous and try something new! We're looking for pieces (or segments) 30 - 45 minutes in length that have NOT received a full production.
THE JAM
‘Jamming’ a text means we take a short excerpt of a new script, partner it up with actors and a director, and workshop it rapid-fire on the afternoon of the event – before doing a rehearsed reading that night. It’s quick, fun, creative and collaborative, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to keep your creative muscles in tune while meeting fellow practitioners in an active setting.
The Jam is perfect for
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Playwrights with a new script they’ve been working on, who are keen to hear it performed out loud and get some responses from creatives and audiences, but who haven’t yet assembled a group to develop it,
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Directors who want to practise their craft and connect with like-minded writers and actors,
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Actors gunning for an opportunity to keep fit, encounter new texts, and get chatting to others in the field,
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Theatre-artists who might be new to the industry, or to London, and haven’t yet formed the connections that help facilitate the creation of new work,
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Artists who are ready to document a version of their work, or to invite programmers, producers, agents and others to see their stuff.
LIVE MUSIC
The Scrap also features a 25 minute live set for musicians and bands to open the night, which is ALSO open-call. What a time to be in London.
ENSEMBLES
WHAT'S THE DEAL, DADDIO?
If you're an ensemble, team, gang, cult etc. and you've got a project you've been workshopping that's ready to see the proverbial light of day – look no further.
Ensembles can apply to the Scratch section of The Scrap, where you get 30-45 minutes to showcase a section of your work for an audience. Simple as that!
So. You get:
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A space and a live audience to share your work with, plus time to mix with other artists, share feedback, and engage with the other pieces during the night,
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A little bit of tech to help facilitate the show – we can run QLab through speakers, and there’s a projector that can be used as well (lights, less so, but we move).
We need:
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A piece / section 30 - 45 minutes in length, that has a team already attached and has undergone some previous workshopping (but which hasn't received a full-scale production),
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Promotion and sharing through your individual social media networks, creative networks, and friendship circles.
SORRY FOR CALLING YOU ‘DADDIO’ BEFORE, THAT WAS WEIRD.
No worries, it happens.
WHAT KIND OF STUFF DO YOU WANT?
For The Scrap, NST tries to place no strictures on form, content, genre, team or style for our scratches: absolute minimal gatekeeping. All we ask is that you be adventurous and try something new!
Keep in mind the limitations of the space, and be aware that we're working in a gig-setting – folks might be milling about, heading up to the bar etc. So if your piece demands enraptured silence, it ain't a guarantee.
WRITERS
HOW'S IT WORK FOR ME?
Have you got a script you've been working on that's ready to get up on its feet, but have no idea what to do with that sucker? Let's JAM IT.
Here’s the deal: you send us a short excerpt of the script (maximum 20 pages). We'll then select some texts for a balanced evening of showcases, and we'll contact you to confirm your interest if we'd like to workshop your script.
If we can't find a place for your text this month, never fear! We keep submissions on a list, and will try to cycle around to it for the next one. So there's no need to resubmit.
We then pool together actors and a director who have applied, allot roles for them, and bring them in to workshop your text for an afternoon. It's that easy!
UM COOL, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
The Scrap is designed to involve a minimum of gatekeeping based on form, genre, style, theme, or your artistic network. What we’re looking for is something adventurous, formally experimental, that takes risks and tries something new. So go with the idea you’re most unsure of, and we’ll see what we can do.
We ask that scripts submitted NOT have received a professional production, and we'll be prioritising submissions from playwrights who will be able to attend the Jamming afternoon (12:30pm onward) as well as the evening's performance.
A NOTE: To make the afternoon run smoothly, we're only able to jam texts with a maximum of FOUR actors. If your play has more than four characters, make sure that it's possible to double-cast roles easily, or select an excerpt that only involves four characters.
ACTORS AND DIRECTORS
WHAT'S MY ROLE IN THIS WHOLE SHABANG?
Easy question, ask us a hard one next time. Geez.
If you're a director or an actor and you want to help jam on a new text, the process is simple: you get the text a week in advance, along with the role you've been allotted. You come on down to The Others in Stoke Newington at 12:30pm on the day of the event. You all say hi to one another. You workshop the play, and present a rehearsed reading that night!
WHO SHOULD I... BE?
You should be you, and you is ALMOST ANYONE. We'll be assigning texts and roles as loosely and diversely as we possibly can – while still taking account of sensitivity based on casting and content of the plays.
For directors, we're ideally looking for practitioners who have at least one directing/assistant credit – which could be absolutely anything at any level.
For actors, something similar: a theatre credit to your name in any capacity is helpful.
This helps to make sure everyone gets the most out of the night, and learns as much as they can through the process.
MUSICIANS
WHAT'LL I DO?
The simplest of all!
The Scrap opens with a 25 minute set from a band or musician, to kick us off in style and welcome folks to the event. You start playing around 7pm, and then sit back and enjoy the show.
WHAT KINDA TUNES WE TALKIN' HERE?
The Scrap is first and foremost a relaxed night of scripts, chats and hangs. We're open to most musical styles and ensemble make-ups, but if your music tends to be a little screechy, gritty, hardcore etc. – we love this – but it might not be right for the evening. Pop, roots, folk, rhythm, indie rockers, absolutely. Let us know what you've got and we can try to make it work!