Scene Change

Where does Liverpool’s freshest creative talent congregate? It was a question that Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse Young Producers found had no answer – until they created one. Scene Change is a bi-monthly artistic showcase that – until a recent and rather impressive upgrade into the main Everyman theatre – enjoyed a six-month run in the versatile black box space of the Playhouse Studio.

Offering the city's young creatives a professional environment in which to showcase their talents, Scene Change provides a generous springboard of opportunity for those artistically inclined and looking for an audience. Specifically targeted towards those finding their feet, Scene Change also assists the more established artist in developing an existing reputation, demonstrating its commitment to inclusivity. The only rule relates to age: more than 25 candles on your cake and you are confined to the stalls; though the spectacle ain't half bad.

The epitome of eclecticism, Scene Change fuses the expected dose of classic theatre and new writing with a little variety. To paraphrase their rather catchy tagline, ‘from film to theatre, magicians to musicians, we’ve got every scene covered.’ In addition to the aforementioned, the event promises poetry, art, dance and design, inviting its lucky audience to explore the breadth of the arts in all her colours.

Past events have carried an effortlessly relaxed tone, the interludes between acts filled by informal introductions regarding the following performer, charming in their naturalistic authenticity. With a back catalogue of themes including ‘Storytelling’ and ‘Behind the Scenes’ (an almost Brechtian works-in-progress evening in which the set bears the usually concealed mechanics of a working theatre), July’s event has a decidedly summer-inspired flavour and sees theatre transformed to village fete, promising an immersive, interactive evening featuring deckchairs, bunting and picnic hampers. I caught word of a cake stall. What’s not to like?