S P O T L I G H T O N : _A N D F R I E N D S.

_andfriends is a performance and artist development initiative newly founded by Catriona MacLeod in April of last year. A Glasgow based, non-funded organisation, _andfriends nurtures emerging artists by providing them with a rehearsal space available to book completely free of charge. The initiative supports creatives some more by giving them the opportunity to present new work during the three *scratch nights that they host every year... and I did purposefully use the word 'creatives' just there, since a big highlight of _andfriends is the variety of roles that people can take on when they get involved with the initiative. (Get acquainted with it here.)

I will say that as easily as it is to be intimidated at the prospect of putting yourself out there, especially as a newcomer, Catriona _andfriends are very much adept at making people feel comfortable, accepted, and invited, with one of their core values being stated as:
"COMMUNITY

We cannot do what we do alone, and neither can you. The theatre industry is an ecosystem and every individual is vital. With this in mind, we believe in creating opportunities for creatives to connect - in our space, at our scratch nights, at events. It is also essential for us that these opportunities are accessible to underrepresented groups. For work to continue, we all need to be seen - by the industry, and by each other.

We also uphold the Federation of Scottish Theatre’s guidelines for navigating Harassment in the Performing Arts - equality and wellbeing in our community starts with you as an individual and continues with us as a collective."