No Such Theatre curates an eclectic programme of theatrical might in this joyous but seriously sleek monthly scratch-night.
The space is bare bones, perched above a pool hall in trendy Stoke Newington. It’s East London through and through. There’s a vinyl shop at the back, and a bar which looks thrown together out of bits of driftwood and left over pallets, scattered with neon lights and signs saying, “cash only”. There are guitars and analogue mixing desks strewn about the place, and the stage is nothing more than a few rugs platted together.
And it’s here that No Such Theatre stage their monthly scratch-night, called The Scrap, which brings together musicians, directors, actors and writers under one, slightly leaky roof.
The night kicks off in its usual way, with a musical act, however, neo-soul R&B singer Xaira sadly had to cancel last minute. Not to worry! It turns out that the writer of one of the theatre pieces just happens to be a brilliant singer, and grabbing one of the ubiquitous guitars, graced the stage. This already feels like a community driven event.
Then comes the “Jam” portion of the night. Essentially, writers are matched with directors and actors, and they get the day to rehearse a short piece or extract from a newly developed script. The first of these offerings is called Billups Crossing, a monologue written by Ben Wendel and directed by Katie Smith. The piece is a gothic and darkly truthful account of the building of a railroad in 1930’s Mississippi, mixing themes of religion, myth and masculinity. Alonzo is played by Jamie Landmann, whose sincere and subtle performance, together with his unapologetically southern drawl give us a sombre and nuanced first act.
Up next was The scoop by Niky Pasolini, who was also our spontaneous songstress at the start of the night. The piece was directed by Luci Florence and featured Cameron Essam and Josh Knowles as Gallo and Quin, competing journalists on the hunt for the same big scoop, set on a riverside in Balmoral. The piece was nostalgically sit-com esc, complete with duck noises, slapstick camera-dropping choreography and overblown expressions, making a good contrast with the piece before. The actors were clearly having a lot of fun with the roles, and overall, the piece felt well rounded and flushed out. I would not have guessed that the creatives had only met that day.
To close the night, we are treated to Cataclysmic, written by Ollie Wimbush and directed by Emily Hawkins. This absurdist one-act play was described as “highly interpretable”, and it certainly is. Vera Majoor played Andy, a character who decidedly defied time and place, and who, in this order, put crisp packets into a bin, gave a devastating monologue about loss, and then danced for about seven minutes. Fantastic.
Indeed, the calibre and raw talent on display from the actors, writers and directors was extremely impressive, as were the technical elements; soundscapes, effects, projections, delivered with a professional quality lacking in most scratch-night settings. Nothing here feels thrown together or improvised, which speaks of not just the talent on and off stage, but the organisation that No Such Theatre brings. The slightly ramshackle aesthetics of the building could not be further from the quality on offer inside. Fun, varied, and with the standard of high-end theatre, The Scrap is a real hub of creativity to rival any in London, just be sure to bring something warm to wear.