Devils Advocate

About the night:

Devils Advocate is an electrifying new scratch night that invites bold artists to explore the dualities of their work in a daring, experimental space. As part of Scratch Renaissance and brought to you by Elevate East, this event pushes the boundaries of what a scratch night can be, inviting artists to present not one, but two contrasting versions of their work, live on stage.

How It Works: Each artist or collective is given two 10-minute performance slots across the night, granting them the opportunity to showcase their work in multiple dimensions. They can choose to:

• Perform the same 10-minute piece twice, but in wildly different ways: Offering a chance to explore tonal shifts or evolving concepts. 
• Present two distinct fragments of their work: This format allows performers to explore a dual perspective on broader elements of their work. 

Whether it's taming the beast in Act I and letting it run wild in Act II, or flipping between two radically different approaches, Devils Advocate encourages artists to test the boundaries of their work in a way that’s fun, challenging, and completely original.

One of the standout features of Devils Advocate is the involvement of the audience as active participants in the creative process. After each performance, the audience becomes the coven of critics offering real-time feedback through a simple QR code. This allows performers to gather fresh eyes and immediate reactions, which will be sent to them after the event.

About the Curator:

Elevate East is an artistic development collective, co-founded and led by Jack Edwards, that thrives on play, failure, and the creation’s messy in-between stages. With fun as their guiding force, Elevate East curates immersive scratch nights, artist showcases, and cabaret-game-show hybrids, challenging audiences to embark on unexpected adventures. Based in East London, they've been featured in Gay Times, produced sold-out tours, and made waves performing at the National Theatre River Stage. Devils Advocate joins their growing roster of boundary-pushing scratch events, inviting artists to explore and experiment in thrilling new ways.

About Scratch Renaissance:

‘Scratch Renaissance’ is a yearlong adrenaline shot for the grassroots dance and performance sector. From May 2025 to July 2026, CDS will host a series of monthly scratch nights at our East London venue. In line with our artist-led ethos, we will work closely with six small artist-led collectives to create six new scratch night models. These models will explore what a scratch night can be while supporting marginalised artists in showcasing their work for the first time.Scratch Renaissance is supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

Accessibility Information:

Please note, we are on the second floor of a warehouse building, accessed by a staircase only. We regret that we cannot currently adequately support wheelchair users and those for whom stairs are a barrier.

We are committed to removing other barriers to access. If you would like to talk to us about your access needs, please contact: frances@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk. Read more about our commitments to anti-ableism as part of our Artist Community Culture Document