“An exciting showcase of brand-new writing”
Performing five freshly-written pieces in a single evening sounds like a challenge, but Hatch & Scratch manage it six times a year. Usually at Riverside Studios, tonight’s edition emanates from Canada Water Theatre as part of the Peckham Fringe Festival, offering the audience a series of 15-minute pieces that sit at the bleeding edge of contemporary theatre. The variety of the pieces is well chosen, ranging from absurd body-swap comedy to a gritty reckoning with generational trauma, and each performance is surprisingly high-quality in both its writing and production.
The evening begins with The Wedding Date, performed by its writers Sera Mustafa and Orla Tagg. It follows two young, single women thrown together at a wedding reception, getting good laughs as they swap war stories about recent Hinge matches; Mustafa jokingly eggs on the more timid Tagg to find a hook-up: “We’re at a wedding – you never have to see him again”. A nice dramatic flourish rounds off the scene, leaving a strong impression as a character study. It’s no surprise to hear this is an excerpt from a longer piece, which if this snapshot is anything to go by promises to be charmingly funny and dramatically compelling.
Next up is the night’s highlight: Lucy Lutte’s It Ends With Me, a searing reckoning with generational trauma, as a daughter (Michelle Aramidé) fights to persuade her mother (Valerie Paul) to leave her abusive husband. A series of punchy exchanges over a single evening highlight the two performers’ chemistry, and the script crackles with heartbreaking authenticity. Paul’s fear – of her husband, of losing her identity, and of what comes next – grabs the audience and doesn’t let go, and a delightfully ambiguous ending makes for a satisfying fade to black.
The more lighthearted Behind the Tracks joins two school pupils (Vigs Otite and Georgie Spencer) as they compare meal-deals and bicker over outlandish would-you-rather questions. The script zips along at an engaging pace and there are some funny lines here, though unconvincing delivery dulls their impact. The interaction between two young people feels real and believable, but a sudden pivot to heavier themes is abrupt and underdeveloped, lacking the foreshadowing needed to earn its emotional turn. This results in a muddled attempt at reckoning with death.
A more impactful story comes from the evening’s only monologue, Today’s Mind Bender, which pulls out all the stops to be as dynamic and engrossing as its two-hander competition. Pete Picton plays a retiree reconnecting with the world by solving crosswords on video, reading out viewer comments and talking about his life. But there’s sadness behind his eyes, and as he talks of a medical diagnosis it’s clear not all is well. Summer moves into autumn, and Picton’s excellent acting and a nuanced script combine to paint a picture of the solver’s decline. A jarring false ending could be easily remedied – is it necessary for Picton to fully leave the stage between each video? – and Picton’s sympathetic and charismatic portrayal means you are left in no doubt when the piece reaches its actual climax.
There’s an absurd finish to the night with Swine Fever, as Bobby’s best friend (Andrew Atha) and girlfriend (Woori Han) find him turned into a pig (played by a portable speaker). It’s not clear whether this is meant to be funny or serious: the humour is over-reliant on irony and misses some easy laughs, but as a political commentary about how easily we accept ridiculous ideas, the premise works better on paper than before an audience. The narrative would also benefit from clearer initial exposition, as evidenced by the couple behind me who spent most of the piece worried it was about bestiality! With some reworking, Swine Fever could be exciting, but it doesn’t properly land on the night.
At its core, Hatch and Scratch is a deeply supportive evening – each creative is applauded individually before each performance, and the audience are invited for drinks with everyone afterwards – establishing a real community feel. There’s a collective desire for each piece to succeed, and this success is well-earned: the writing, staging and performances feel far more polished than what you’d expect from a new-material night. For someone excited to see brand new theatre ‘hatch’ onstage, this is the perfect show. It definitely ‘scratches’ that itch.
Hatch & Scratch run shows once every two months at Riverside Studios. When available, tickets can be purchased here.