This was the sixth Liverpool Scratch Network, a monthly event in collaboration with RBA Management and Liverpool Film Academy, showcasing new work written and performed by both industry professionals and up and coming creatives, with each scene being workshopped a few hours prior to performance with the help of an allocated director.
An eclectic evening kicked off with Leather Apron written by James Orford and directed by Thomas Goodison-Fearns. An exploration of the infamous double event murders committed by notorious killer Jack the Ripper. Featuring an array of characters including Abberline (Ray F. Beard), Jack (Rory Gillan), Watkins (Tasia Rhodes), Diemschutz (Sam Prior), Packer (Matty Dwyer), and a Woman in Crowd (Beth Rosebrook), one can certainly imagine this as an audio drama.
Comfortably Dilated written by Gabriella Borsos and directed by Waleka Munthali is a semi-autobiographical piece about the travails of a pregnant woman who with early labour pains is sent to hospital, only to be dismissed and sent home with paracetamol and ibuprofen. With characters Anna (Lauren Bugg), Tom (Geoff Hogg), Dr Patel (Mariam Jama), and Leila (Laura Nock), this was a humorous tale that certainly brought a tear to the eye for all the right reasons.
The Life You Don’t Know written and directed by Alicia Forde also draws upon personal experience as set in a school, it provides a slice of social drama with its exploration of sexuality and orientation. Featuring Forde as well as Megan Cerys Holland, Oceana Cage, and Kelise Gordon Harrison, it will be interesting to see if its potential extends beyond this TV pilot.
Just Mates written by Liam O’Brien and directed by Will Romain sees two struggling stand-up comedians make a pact to turn their darkest traumas into on-stage material with one, making use of AI, soon discovering there is more to his past than he even knew himself. With characters Jessica (Claire Harrison), John (John Knowsley), and AI (Kathleen Collins), this is a timely piece as we discover that the newfound technology has no intention of being a silent partner.
The penultimate production was London’s Burning written by Mark Davoren and directed by Tom Martin who also features alongside James Dorman in the opening scene of a full-length play exposing the truth behind the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire, as we are thrust into the murky world of corporate finance where everything has a price. Strong writing and good characterisation of a subject that has not yet been tackled on the wider stage.
Finally, Phoenix written by Steven Brockenbrow and directed by Miriam Mussa draws its inspiration from the question, if you could clone any human being, who would it be and why? With characters Dr Collins (Mike Neary), Mikey (Sean Robinson), and Laura (Stephania Lovelace), it certainly offers food for thought, and whilst originally devised for screen, the writer is now considering it as a more theatrical piece.
Scratch nights offer a certain frisson and need an accompanying energy and pace to proceedings to support this, so it was quite impressive to see these six pieces turned round quickly with segues managed effortlessly by organiser Alicia Brockenbrow and introductions to each piece prepared by the respective writer.
This was the sixth scratch event which is hosted at a different venue each month and it was good to see a strong turnout from local creatives as well as family and friends of the various members of each production, with a post-show networking mixer for actors, writers and filmmakers continuing long after the virtual curtain had dropped on the main event.
The next scratch event is scheduled for 6th August at Hardman Studios on Hardman Street, Liverpool. If you’re interested in taking part – or just watching – then further details are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-liverpool-scratch-network-7-tickets-1467760072889 or drop Alicia a line at liverpoolscratchnetwork@gmail.com
Reviewer: Patrick McDonagh
Reviewed: 6th July 2025
North West End UK Rating: N/A – short, one-off scratch pieces