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What is a scratch night?
Scratch nights act as a sharing platform for artists to test their work to a supportive live audience and the work presented is often at the very early stages of development.
Selected artists will have 20 minutes in which to present their work, which is followed by a feedback session with the audience. After collecting the audience’s thoughts, artists are then able to evolve the piece accordingly.
For audiences, scratch nights are a great way to see new work, contribute to the development of a piece and support artists.
Meet our February Key Nights artists
Malika Speaks
Malika is a spoken word artist and community producer, crowned Peterborough Poet Laureate 2019-2022.
She is passionate about using the power of communication and creativity in helping individuals with self-healing & creating connections with others, centering her work around self-expression, self-awareness and empathy. Her work includes performance, workshop facilitation, consultancy and research. Malika has appeared and performed on TV radio shows internationally, including: BBC Look East, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Inspire FM, Salaam Radio and New Jersey Women’s Club, USA.
More recently her creative practice stretches beyond poetry, exploring and incorporating theatre and dance. Her recent projects investigate the power of movement & visual communication. She holds a curiosity for how these practices can deepen mind-body connection and nurture empowerment in self-expression. Malika is developing an emotive performative piece which blends poetry and movement, depicting the journey of ‘self’ including the struggles and importance of self-care and self-trust.
Marianne Powell
Marianne Powell is a storyteller and songwriter, whose mission is to create joyful communal experiences. Marianne has trained at the International School of Storytelling, and has told stories to doctors, scientists, family history researchers and festival goers – among others. Marianne is currently touring a storytelling show in Cambridgeshire libraries and churches, telling Fenland folk tales and collaborating with folk band Orphean Sprig.
Previously her work has featured at the Royal Court, Battersea Arts Centre and Cambridge Junction. While living in Hungary she set up Budapest Secret Theatre, where she also staged her first full length play. She’s delighted to be sharing her newest work in progress at the Key Theatre.
Otor Matthew
Otor Matthew is a dynamic spoken word poet bridging Lagos, Nigeria, Peterborough, and London through his powerful artistry. His performances transform stages into spaces of profound connection, with verses that delve deep into identity, belonging, and social justice. Drawing from personal and collective experiences, his work resonates across cultural boundaries, building a community of engaged listeners both online and in person.
A multiple award-winner, Otor cultivates creative spaces through his Lagos Open Mic Night and London’s Poets at the Bell House. His influence extends to academic spheres, including notable performances at the London School of Economics’ Ubuntu Café and Leadership Summits, where his poetry sparks crucial dialogues about culture and social transformation.
Whether on stage or screen, Otor Matthew exemplifies spoken word’s evolving power, proving that the ancient art of voiced verse remains vital in our digital age
Tom Heald
Tom Heald is a writer specializing in character-driven theatre that amplifies marginalized voices. Growing up in Suffolk, Tom overcame a pronounced stammer through theatre, igniting a passion for storytelling that gives a voice to the unheard. Their work explores complex, flawed characters in confined settings, using nuanced dialogue to uncover profound human truths. They are passionate about challenging traditional storytelling and creating intimate, transformative audience experiences through innovative approaches and deep exploration of character dynamics.
‘Put It In, I’m Ready’ follows an unnamed male character hiding in a toilet cubicle after a disastrous first date. He began to panic when the woman he was on a date with told him that she didn’t think he was a ‘proper man’. The entire show attempts to answer what a proper man is and why many men don’t feel that they fit. The show is a mixture of my own experiences and those of male-identifying people who I have interviewed. The idea of the project is to examine what the male identity is and why so many men turn to toxic leaders to foster their identity. In the project, I am including the voices of men like Jake Paul, Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and Lawrence Fox and the character actively engages with them in this search for where he fits in the great scale of masculinity.
Register your interest!
Applications have now closed for the upcoming Key Nights event on Saturday 22nd February. The next event is due to take place in Autumn 2025.
To register your interest, please contact either George Barnett or Sonny Nwachukwu from our Talent & Participation team.