Step into the future of live performance with five fearless voices from Roundhouse’s Poetry Collective and Centre 59. Studio Scratch will feature new excerpts of work from Priyanka Moorjani, Niall Loftus, Ibrahim Kanu, Zoe Frechin-Pollard and Louie Thornton. another mango diaspora (poetry) show by Priyanka Moorjani ‘Not to write mango diaspora poetry but sometimes I feel god when I walk into an Indian grocery store’ – @axshna on TikTok. Diasporic South Asian poets have long been writing about the mango trees ‘back home’. But, what if, *GASP*, the British-South Asian experience was MORE than just stereotypes? Join award-winning poet and Roundhouse Slam Finalist, Priyanka Moorjani, as they combine spoken word, theatre and comedy whilst unpacking what it truly means to be a queer, British-Indian girl (who doesn’t even really like mangoes…). Think Alok-Vaid Menon’s Biology! told through a Londoner’s perspective. Content warnings: Audience Participation Last Week’s News by Niall Loftus In the final moments before the end of seemingly everything, where would you go? What would you do? Because for some odd reason, one random individual has decided to play ‘anchor‘ and broadcast the last week’s news read. Last Week’s News is a mystery centred around that choice. Bouncing from weather, business, culture, politics and more, we learn our host’s personal stakes as they begin to seep through their reporting on the state of the world. With humour, sincerity and heart, the show centres on themes of community, communication and independence and the role each plays in our everyday lives. Content warnings: war, the climate crisis and loneliness. The Artist by Ibrahim Kanu Following a heist gone wrong Zino, a man who’s made a career out of playing roles, is sent to an acting programme under unusual circumstances. What begins as retraining in deception soon becomes a dangerous game where truth and fear collide; and where every word could be his undoing. With nowhere to hide, each line he speaks draws him closer to the part he’s spent his life avoiding. Blending sharp humour, simmering tension, and emotional vulnerability, The Artist blurs the lines between art and survival. It’s a haunting exploration of identity, illusion, and the masks we all wear, revealing the fragile humanity beneath and keeping you guessing until the final line. Looking For by Zoe Frechin-Pollard Co-directed by Lauren DeBruin and Niall Loftus Performed by Zoe Frechin-Pollard (she/her) and Tom Draper (he/him) Two idealists embittered and worn down by modern romance are looking for something, and they haven’t found it yet. Looking For is a dark comedy which takes place on a first date between a prospective sugar baby and sugar daddy. As their discussion ensues, obvious surface level intentions for money, sex and romance betray more complicated motivations for their arrangement. Explore our modern relationship to modern relationships: the intersection between transaction and romance, and the friction between modern liberal ideals of independence and physical autonomy with our desires for security and love. Apollo by Louie Thornton Welcome to the afterlife, bitch! Two drag artists rush to the scene of a crash, already late to take Sophie to the afterlife. She’s 21, fresh to dying and thinks she knows exactly where she’s landed. As long as there’s good lighting and racks of men, does it really matter? Between the flaming wreck of the car and the love island villa Sophie meets Apollo: a trans man on the moon who seems to be waiting for her. With her hair still wet and heart still open, is she ready to embrace this sort of ending? Performers: Tylee (she/her) @tyleejenner Loren (she/her) @lorendellarco Robyn (they/them) @robyn.rhodes Fin (he/him) @finatkinn Producer/dramaturg: Martha (they/them) @m.art.harlan Content warnings: Death, grief, kink