Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know anything about Actor Awareness. Run by Tom Stocks, the campaign was set up two years ago to fight for equality and diversity in the arts, regardless of background. Last Monday, Actor Awareness presented their first scratch night, featuring six new short plays all based around the theme of working class. I bought my ticket because a friend had written one of the plays, and it was a really enjoyable evening, with a fascinating selection of plays and some brilliant performances.

The scratch night took place at the Canal Cafe Theatre, an intimate setting perfect for this kind of event. After each play, the audience were invited to give feedback – good or bad – to help the actors, writers and directors going forward. This had the potential to be a bit awkward, particularly if the feedback wasn’t all good, but it was all very constructive, and all the comments were taken in the spirit in which they were intended.

One of the most interesting aspects of the night was how varied the submissions were; if I hadn’t known in advance what the common theme was, I’d never have guessed. And they also covered the whole spectrum of emotions – from laugh out loud comedies like R(ex)ception and Netflix and Chill with Bae, to heartbreaking dramas C’est la Vie and 9 Cans and a Quarter Bottle.

We began with R(ex)ception, a short but very funny piece written by Francesca Mepham and directed by Adam Morley, about two co-workers, who also just happen to be exes. Naturally, hilarious awkwardness ensues as they try to work out their differences, in a very public forum. In addition, the play makes clever use of a third actor to separate the scenes and involve the audience in the story. My only complaint was that it was over too soon; the banter between the two exes was brilliant and I wanted to see more.

Next was Garnet and Gordon, an intense and powerful play written by Francesca Wright and directed by Gaz Wilson. This is one I think we can all relate to; we’ve all had someone we’d rather avoid sit down next to us at the station or bus stop. But what’s interesting about this piece is how both the main characters clearly have more going on than initially meets the eye. I’d love to see the story developed further and get to the bottom of how both men found themselves sitting on that bench.

C’est la Vie, written and directed by Stephanie Perry, is an extract from a longer play about three couples (though we only saw two in this excerpt). The piece examines love through the eyes of each couple, and follows them through the ups and downs of their relationships, until a tragic set of circumstances brings them together. This play was really well acted, but just seeing an excerpt meant it was hard to properly get into it or know at what point of the story we’d come in. I’d love to see the full play, though, as it was clearly heading in an interesting direction.

Act 2 opened with 9 Cans and a Quarter Bottle, written and directed by Seamus Mcnamara. Along with a few other members of the audience, I didn’t completely follow what was going on with this one until the writer explained, at which point a lot of things suddenly made sense. Nonetheless, it’s still a very hard-hitting and moving piece, which was constructed from real accounts of living with drug addiction. The play’s an interesting mix of emotional, hilarious and just plain odd; I’d love to watch it again now, having had some insight into what it’s all about.

Family Estate, written and directed by Lawrence Crane, is a snapshot of life for a couple struggling to make ends meet – again, something many people can relate to. As he prepares to go out on a risky job (details of which remain unclear), she tries to talk him out of it. The back and forth argument is clearly one they’ve had many times before, and there’s a sense of things escalating. This play, too, feels like the beginning of a longer piece; it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving the audience eager to know what happens next.

And finally, Netflix and Chill with Bae, written and directed by the show’s organiser, Tom Stocks. After some pretty heavy material, it was great to end the evening on a lighter note; this play is very funny because it’s totally real. We’ve all been on bad dates, and we’ve all experienced that inner monologue analysing every detail of what’s going right or wrong. What’s great about this play is that its characters are instantly likeable, and by the end you’re really rooting for them to get together, even though on paper they seem totally mismatched.

The next Actor Awareness scratch night has already been announced for February, and the theme is ‘Women’s night‘. So if you’re a female writer or director and fancy sending in a play on that theme that’s under 15 minutes long, this is your chance… Visit the Actor Awareness website for more details.