EXETER’S Northcott Theatre and Phoenix Arts Centre are collaborating on a Scratch Night partnership, on Monday 23rd February, to support established and emerging artists and performers across the South West.

Following the huge success of Scratch Night during the 2025 Elevate Festival, the second Scratch Night will take place at Exeter Phoenix auditorium offering artists the opportunity to showcase work in progress in front of a live audience.

Kate Danbury, co-producer of the event, says: “We want to open our doors and meet as many artists as possible. Scratch Nights are a celebration of local talent and, going forward, they will serve as a declaration from Exeter’s two leading performance venues that we are here to support artists from the early ideas stage to the big stage.”

For audiences, it is a rare insight into the creative process behind new performance work while allowing artists to receive valuable audience feedback that could help shape how the final version of the performance may be presented.

The successful applicants receive £150 towards developing their practice, along with access to free rehearsal space at both Exeter Phoenix and the Barnfield Theatre, as well as dramaturgical support from Exeter Northcott Theatre’s artist development producer Sam Parker who encourages artists at all stages of their practice to take this opportunity: “It was a joy to pilot our Scratch Night c.

Photograph from the 2025 Scratch Night by Greg Towning.