Lowry’s Scratch Nights X Climate Hope

We are pleased to announce our next call-out for artists to test brand new ideas responding to the theme of climate hope - focusing on optimism, agency, and meaningful action in the face of the climate crisis. In a time marked by climate grief, political fatigue, and social despair, hope is not a luxury; it’s an essential and transformative force for change. 
 
This edition of Scratch Nights will be curated in collaboration with The Guardians of Living Matter (Lowry Developed With artists Sophy King & John-Paul Brown).

What do we mean by climate hope?

In this moment of ecological uncertainty, we urgently need to shift the narrative from one of inevitable decline to one of resilience, imagination, and care. Climate hope doesn’t ignore the urgency of the crisis; it recognises it, while focusing on what can be done. It’s found in community-led responses, acts of care and repair, rewilding and regeneration, empowerment and resilience.

It includes new ways of designing, living, organising, and imagining the future - from knowledge-sharing to climate justice movements, from speculative thinking to everyday acts that prioritise connection, sustainability, and change.

There is no fixed definition, only space for fundamental, creative, and practical responses that help shift narratives and open up new possibilities.

SCRATCH NIGHTS AT LOWRY

Our Scratch Nights offer an evening dedicated to the development of brand-new work. A chance for artists to put early ideas in front of a live, supportive audience to see what sticks; it’s about now rather than never, it’s about the spit without the polish. Testing early ideas that may one day turn into fully formed pieces. 
  
These informal nights bring new work to audiences and create a supportive platform for artists to experiment, take risks, test ideas on stage, and share new work with peers and wider public.

What we’re looking for

This is an open call-out for artists based in Greater Manchester and the North West of England to apply. We are now inviting artists, collectives, and companies working across live art (physical, visual, digital, or cross-artform) to submit proposals that explore climate hope from any angle - poetic, social, speculative, personal, or communal. 
 
Proposals should include a live element and be suitable for sharing in the Aldridge Studio Theatre at Lowry on Thursday 23 October 2025. 
 
Please note: this opportunity is best suited to artists who have a live or performance-based element to their practice. We are not currently accepting proposals solely focused on scriptwriting or music. 
 
We will select four proposals to be part of the event, with each artist or company invited to share up to 20 minutes of work. Proposals should present a new idea or a work-in-progress that has not yet been performed publicly. 

Selected artists will receive:

• A fee of £1000 to develop and present your idea
• Rehearsal space at Lowry where possible
• Producer support from Lowry Staff and online mentoring session in advance of the event with Sophy King and John-Paul Brown
• A set of production images and video archive footage taken by a professional photographer and videographer
• Anonymous feedback from audiences in response to the questions you want answered about your work
• If required, extra financial support will be made available as a contribution towards access costs, caring responsibilities and any costs associated with wellbeing and safe working in relation to the activity you wish to undertake. We can discuss what you need if you are selected. 

Scratch Nights Guidelines

The work must be a new idea or piece in development (not having been shown anywhere else), with basic technical requirements.

The work must be suitable for the Aldridge Studio space. Please visit our website for more details on the technical specifications of the Studio.

This opportunity is for artists at any stage of their career.

Key Dates

Deadline for applications: Thursday 31 July 2025, 5pm

All artists will be notified by: Thursday 7 August 2025

Scratch Nights date: Thursday 23 Oct 2025, Lowry Aldridge Studio

Lowry is committed to encouraging diversity and intersectionality in the arts and we actively encourage proposals from artists from under-represented communities, including people who experience racism, identify as working class, have disabilities, are from the LGBTQ+ community, care experienced or are discriminated against.

We encourage you to apply for this opportunity no matter what your age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

If you have any queries, please get in touch with Grace Ng at artistdevelopment@thelowry.com. We can answer queries about the application process and Scratch Nights programme but cannot read draft applications in advance.

How to apply

To apply and submit your Application online click here. 
 
Click here - to download the Application Form and Equal Opportunities Monitoring in a Word document. This can be used to draft answers to the questions before applying online, or for audio or video applications. 
 
Click here - to download the contents of this page, Application Form, and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form in Large Print Word format. 
 
Click here - to download the contents of this page, Application Form, and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form in Easy Read Word format.

Lowry is committed to reducing our environmental impact across all areas of the organisation, with the ambition of becoming a leading example for the cultural sector. You can find out more here.