Open Space – Autumn 2026

Open Space, TBTL’s scratch night, returns to the Studio this autumn. Discover exciting new performance ideas and support local talent as artists share works-in-development in front of a live audience.

From spoken word to music, dance to theatre, you never quite know what you’ll see until you arrive. Each performance lasts around 15 minutes, and audiences are invited to help shape the work by offering feedback in a relaxed, supportive environment.

Here’s your line up for the evening:

Welded – A new comedy by Grace Kirby and Peter Macqueen

Set in 2040 in a world made more dangerous and uncertain by the climate crisis, Welded is a dystopian comedy about change and hope – change in the natural order, the world order and the order of Beth and Sam’s lives together. Holding on to a lifetime of memories and standing only a few bus stops away from life’s terminus, they manage to look after each other as best they can.

[Re]Gather – by Jack McNeill

[Re]gather is a collective listening to a memory; and trying to conjure the sounds of a future moment while still in the present. Musician / actor Jack McNeill presents an experiment tuning into deep-time listening devices. With lithophones and radio receivers, dismantled bass clarinet and voices within and without the performance space – can we hear the future in the past?

On Elva Plain – by Jackie Risman

Inspired by poetry pamphlet On Elva Plain, three Cumbria creatives use live music, spoken word and film to bring Lake District fringes of Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite to life, following rivers heading to West Cumbria and the Solway. Be immersed in places for the first time or those you already know.

The Tup and I – by David Kirkbride

Details to come!

Over the years, Open Space has been a springboard for artists to take their ideas further; from touring and R&D to full Edinburgh Fringe runs. Six and a half years on from our very first scratch night, it’s been a real joy to see work by Cumbrian artists making its way out into the wider world. Past pieces include Dreamtime Fellrunner by Julie Carter, Hefted by Eireann Devlin, Threads by Ursula Leveaux, and Nancy’s Orange by Grace Kirby.

If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, you can find out more by joining our Cumbrian Creatives network.