‘Live & Spooky’ A Halloween Scratch Night - 27th October; 7pm to 8pm

Five writers. Five ten-minute stories. One very haunted evening.

We're beyond thrilled to announce our very first Scratch Night event and we want your stories on our stage. Read the details below before you submit.

Flame Tree Publishing is stepping off the page and onto the stage. This is our first foray into live theatre, and we're kicking things off exactly how you'd expect: with a Halloween scratch night.

We want short, sharp, spooky new work that can hold a room in ten minutes flat. Ghosts, curses, folk horror, cosmic dread, the thing under the bed. If it unsettles us, we want to see it. This is a scratch night, which means we're looking for early-stage, low-tech, high-impact writing. Think fewer props, tighter casts, bigger scares.

Important Notice about Submissions and Guidelines:

• Ten minutes scripts, max, per piece
• 4 characters maximum
• Minimal tech - no elaborate set or lighting cues
• Genre: horror, gothic, folk horror, supernatural. Anything that fits a Halloween night of storytelling
• Performance date: 27th October. Venue: The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU
• Please provide your legal name (and pen name if applicable) to help with quick contracts/acceptances
• If providing an author bio or pitch/synopsis for your story, we strongly advise against using AI to write these

Submit by: Sunday, 23rd August

Submission Link: https://forms.gle/WrKfDbhMbh7nBVnAA

Terms:

• All selected writers (directors and actors) will be paid a participation fee of £50
• This is a stage performance. If you would like to direct your piece or have a company that wants to perform your piece please mention it in your submission. In that case we will not have a call-out for director/actors for your piece
• The event will be at The Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High St, London NW1 7BU. No travel or accommodation provided
• Submission does not guarantee selection; all pieces will be read and shortlisted by our team
• Stories that use AI for planning, editing, modifying or generating text will not be accepted. Please confirm in your submission email that you have not used AI in these ways. The contracts for accepted writers all require signatures declaring AI has not been used
• We will aim to read each story and confirm its status within 2 weeks of the submission deadline
• Payment for the chosen works will be made within 30 days of the performance

We can't wait to read what you send us and we'll see your (and four other terrifying tales) live on the 27th.

Thank you, and happy haunting!