Scratch That!
The Next Voices in Theatre
Delivered by Legacy Centre of Excellence and supported by Birmingham Rep, this six-month talent accelerator is designed for writers who are ready to build on the progress they've already made and take the next step in their creative practice.
Working with a cohort of just seven writers, the programme combines creative development, dramaturgical support, industry insight and professional experiences to help participants strengthen new or existing work and move it closer to production, presentation or further development.
Across six months, participants will work alongside experienced theatre practitioners, receive creative challenge and dramaturgical support, gain behind-the-scenes access to Birmingham Rep, connect with guest artists and industry professionals, and take part in a rehearsed reading with professional actors and a director.
The programme is aimed at writers who have already engaged in workshops, commissions, scratch performances, residencies or other development opportunities and are looking to sharpen their craft, expand their networks and position themselves for the next stage of their writing career.
meet the writers
Vignesh Venkataramaiah
Vignesh Venkataramaiah (Vig's Poetry) is a Birmingham-based spoken word artist, multidisciplinary creative, facilitator and producer whose work explores memory, identity and belonging through poetry, performance and participatory storytelling. A slam-winning poet, he has performed at festivals, galleries and cultural venues across the UK and is also starting to emerge internationally - recently performing in Brooklyn as a support act for Solfull Poetry's NYC Finale and also at Poets Of Bangalore. He has featured on the BBC, exhibited audiovisual work with Vivid Projects at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and published work in 'Enter West', 'The Zephaniah Forest' and 'Our Flag, Our People'.
​
Alongside his creative practice, Vig is the Regional Producer of Poets' Palace Birmingham and works across community arts, workshops and public engagement. His work explores multicultural British Indian identity, masculinity, neurodivergence and collective memory, creating spaces where poetry becomes a tool for connection, dialogue and social change.
​
last play: small island
favourite quote: 'write what you can't bear to admit' - ted hughes
fun fact: I write bespoke poems for strangers on a vintage electric typewriter.
Hodan Mohamed
A Somali-Muslim writer based in the West Midlands, Hodan's twisted short play Tell Them was produced by the Criterion Theatre performing for a two-week run at the Springboard Festival 2026. Having been part of BFI NETWORK's' Short Script Development Programme and completing the TV & Film Fusion course with Mission Accomplished at the BOA Stage & Screen Production Academy, Hodan has a penchant for heightened contemporary storytelling with complex characters as she writes for audiences who may not see themselves or know what's going to happen next.
Last play watched? Dugsi Dayz by Sabrina Ali
​
Fav quote? "You are your best thing"- Beloved by Toni Morrison
Deontaye Osazuwa
Deontaye Osazuwa is a Birmingham-based poet, playwright and performer. She won first prize at Benjamin Zephaniah Future Writers 2025 and her first play, HOPE + DEATH, was longlisted for the Mustapha Matura Award in 2025. Her work often explores the whimsy, woe and magic of trying to exist.
Last play I watched: After Party at the Belgrade Theatre
Quote: "A book? What do you want a book for?" "To read." - Matilda (1996)
Ayan Mahamud
My name is Ayan Mahamud, I employ the art of writing poetry, as a mirror to reflect and examine the transformations needed, meticulously charting progress and dismantling old patterns. I explore the intricacies and chaos of human living through exploration of themes such as identity, loss, migration, diversity and inclusion. I am a poet as well as a visual artist, and the creative director of my own arts initiative AGEM.
AGEM exists because we believe YOUR creative wellbeing matters! Providing creative workshops, poetry showcases and exhibitions. We recently were commissioned by Solihull Council for our poetry short film! Day to day, I am a mental health professional and researcher.
Last play I watched: A Time for Love (by the Young REP Collective)
​
From the book “Possession” by A.S. Byatt
“I make for a stammering companion… as for the wit you may have perceived in me, when we met, you saw, you must have seen, only the glimmerings and glister of your own brilliance refracted from the lumpen sure gave of a dead moon”,
Fun fact about me:
Movement is everything for me! Jogging, weight lifting, walking, stretching, swimming, or dancing like nobody is watching! (Aka what regulates me as a neurodivergent person haha!)
Sultan
Al-Turki
I'm Sultan, a recent graduate of Computer Science from the University of Birmingham. Coming from Saudi Arabia, I haven't had many opportunities to explore the creative arts. But now, having spent three years at university, I've found my passion for theatre and have been exploring it ever since.
From Shakespeare, to improv, to improvised Shakespeare, I've been involved in all sorts of performances. I have written and directed two plays, as well as leading my university's improv troupe to the Edinburgh Fringe. And now, having recently completed the Creative Futures programme with the rep, I'm excited to explore the next step into the world of the arts.
Last Play I Watched:
Beetlejuice: The Musical
Or alternatively, if you'd prefer a non-musical play:
Yerma
Favorite Quotes:
"You think people make choices? No, People think they make choices. They think they turn right or left, but they didn't build the roads" - Brennan Lee Mulligan as Robert Moses, Dimension 20
"There are times one's diminutive size bears strange fruit" - Warren Roper, Penny Dreadful
"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes" - Witches, Macbeth
Fun Fact About Myself:
I can sing songs in 18 languages.
Nigel
Bailey
My name is the attempt to merge two African themes into one strong appellation; it means Black Champion. Through it, I endeavour to embody the characteristics of my ancestors. Because of it, my mind is open. Because of it, I have the ability to be closed at will. It is a place of strength. A piece of pride. An anointment on my soul. It is my legacy.
Or scratch that, it’s my name, innit!
Last play:
Blue mist
Fav quote:
Evil is good, as* is good. If you get an evil as*…. Whoooo
Fun fact:
I once sang directly to Mariah Carey on her birthday.
Chalmere Davis
I've always believed the best stories begin with ordinary people standing on the edge of something extraordinary. That's probably why I write fantasy. Although I've loved reading and writing since childhood, I didn't begin writing fiction seriously until after completing my MA in Family Studies. What began as a lifelong passion became a commitment to learning the craft, starting with my first creative writing course at the Midlands Arts Centre more than twenty years ago. Since then, I've continued to study with writers across the country.
I've written two children's fantasy novels, completed a further three that are awaiting publication, and am currently revisiting a collection of supernatural short stories. Whether I'm writing fantasy or supernatural fiction, I'm drawn to stories that uncover the extraordinary within the familiar.
​
Away from my desk, I enjoy making clothing for family and friends, another creative pursuit that lets imagination take shape in a different way.
One of my favourite film moments comes from Jordan Peele's Us. When Jason quietly says, "There's a family in the driveway," everything changes. I admire how one seemingly simple sentence can fill an ordinary moment with dread, a reminder that the most powerful stories often begin with the smallest shift.
​
The last theatre production I saw was The Pickwick Papers, performed in Stroud by the Rain or Shine Theatre Company in support of Stroud Women's Refuge.