Belly Scratch

Belly Scratch is Underbelly Boulevard Soho’s first ever theatre scratch night! 

We’re providing a safe space for theatre-makers to test out extracts of work at any stage of development in front of a receptive audience, with the opportunity for free rehearsal space and constructive feedback. 

Belly Scratch nights will feature 4 artists each performing or reading up to 20mins of a new piece of work. Artists will be chosen through an application process, and each artist will receive:

– A slot at a Belly Scratch night of up to 20 minutes to perform a section of work to an audience of 40 people. 
– Dedicated time after the performance in the venue bar to have a drink, meet the audience and chat about the work. 
– One day’s free rehearsal time in the Underbelly Boulevard Soho studio prior to the performance.
– Audience feedback on the work through an online form. 
– A 1-hour session with the Underbelly programming team to discuss the work and any questions around its development.
– £50 to cover travel expenses.

The criteria for applications are as follows: 
– Shows can be any size – solo show or ensemble. 
– Shows can be at any stage of development, from a hint of an idea to early R&D to fully scripted.
– Submissions must not have been performed before in front of an audience as part of a fully finished show. 
– Submissions must be for theatre pieces, but within that can be scripted, devised, spoken word, gig theatre, performance art or anything that reasonably falls under the theatre banner. 
– We do not accept submissions for stand-up comedy or cabaret. 
– We do not accept rehearsals or readings of published plays which already exist.
– We particularly welcome work from underrepresented artists and performers within the industry.
– Finally, we see this as a testing ground for trying out new things with no pressure or obligation, and we welcome submissions on any topic and which take any form – no idea is a bad idea!

Check out some of the previous shows we’ve worked with including Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England, DRUM, Identities, Is the Wifi Good in Hell?, Ugly Sisters, and The Mosinee Project in the gallery below:

Applications open on Monday, 9 December, and our first Belly Scratch night will be on Wednesday 29 January 2025 from 7 – 9pm! To apply, please fill out our short application form.

Applications close on Sunday, 22 December and all applicants will be informed of any decisions by Monday, 13 January 2025. We regret to inform that due to the number of applications we receive, we cannot supply feedback on every application.