Chippy & Scratch Nights

"The point of Chippy Lane's yearly scratch competitions is to discover and nurture Welsh playwriting — and on this evidence, it is doing exactly that."

Wales Arts Review

A Chippy Lane Productions Play

Chippy & Scratch nights give Welsh and Wales-based writers the chance to showcase new work in progress in front of audiences and industry professionals, providing the constructive feedback vital to any creative's developmental stage. Running from 2016 to 2019, the nights were showcased at some brilliant venues including The London Welsh Centre, Theatre503, Chapter and The Old Red Lion, quickly gaining momentum — with their second event alone drawing 44 submissions and seeing the highest-voted pieces travel back to Wales for a special Cardiff showcase. Over the course of their run, the nights became a celebrated force for nurturing emerging talent, with writers going on to work with the National Theatre of Wales, Sherman Theatre, Theatr Clwyd and the BBC, as well as having work published, working in television and winning major writing awards.

The nights were also covered by The Guardian, The Stage, Arts Desk, What's On Stage, Arts Scene in Wales and the Western Mail, though full review text from those outlets isn't freely available online.

What the critics have said

"The writing talent on show was impressive — a number of award-winning writers presenting new work alongside emerging voices. While all the plays had Welsh roots, they had something to say to a much wider audience, proving that specific stories can resonate universally."

West End Wilma

"The lack of set and staging pushed the writing firmly into the spotlight, showing just how powerfully a well-written script can build rounded, compelling characters in a short space of time."

West End Wilma

"The point of Chippy Lane's yearly scratch competitions is to discover and nurture Welsh playwriting — and on this evidence, it is doing exactly that."

Wales Arts Review