Coming Out Scratch Night

Coming Out Scratch Night is at the York Theatre Royal Studio on Tuesday 20 October, a one-off evening of eight brand-new LGBTQ+ performances. It's a scratch night, which is just a way of saying it's a showcase for work-in-progress: new pieces being tried out in front of an audience for the first time. The line-up brings together actors, poets and writers, so you'll get a mix of styles rather than one single format. All eight pieces share the same theme, coming out, and they look at it from both ends — the highs and the occasional lows.

Roots is the company behind it, a Yorkshire-based queer touring theatre company. They're best known for Happy Meal, which picked up a Fringe First, so they've got a track record of getting work on its feet and out on the road. This night is a bit different from their touring shows, though: it's a one-off, and all the proceeds go towards supporting new local artists.

The evening is part of The Old Paint Shop season, which transforms the Studio into a cabaret club. It's unreserved seating, so you just turn up and find a spot. The whole thing runs on Tuesday 20 October at the York Theatre Royal Studio.