How Sober Scribbles Is Reimagining Community, Care and Creativity at the Unity…
On Wednesday 21 January, Unity Theatre hosts Sober Scribbles, a scratch night offering something quietly radical in a city where theatre bars and post-show drinks are often taken for granted: a deliberately alcohol-free space for writers, performers and audiences to come together around new work.
At its heart, Sober Scribbles is about community. “It’s a space for anyone interested in writing in an alcohol-free environment,” explains founder and facilitator Helen Jeffrey. “Some people who attend are in recovery, others are rethinking their relationship with alcohol or just taking a break. Essentially, all are welcome as long as they respect that this is a community brought together by their choice, in this moment, not to drink.”
The project grew out of Helen’s own creative journey. Following a performance of her play Buckled at Unity Theatre in 2024 – a piece exploring how to navigate sobriety in a world that often revolves around alcohol – a post-show conversation sparked something new. “During the Q&A, I was asked if I was planning on facilitating any writing workshops for other people navigating sobriety,” she says. “I remember thinking, what a great idea…”
From that moment, Sober Scribbles developed as both a practical response and a gentle challenge to theatre culture’s unspoken norms. Keeping the events alcohol-free was essential. “For some people, even being around others who are drinking can be triggering,” Helen explains. “I wanted anyone attending to feel safe and able to enjoy the experience without worrying about how they might feel in the bar before or after the show. It’s also an opportunity to experience a collective social event without alcohol being at the centre of it.”
Scratch nights can be daunting, especially when sharing early-stage work, but Sober Scribbles places care at the centre of its process. All the writers presenting on the night have taken part in Helen’s playwriting courses, where peer feedback is rooted in trust and generosity. “I encourage sharing and feeding back on each other’s work in a safe, respectful and kind way,” she says. The pieces have already gone through redrafting, and audience feedback will be gathered via a QR code, allowing writers to reflect on what resonated without the pressure of public critique.
Unity Theatre feels like a natural home for the project. “I’ve always loved Unity,” Helen says. “It supports artists to explore the world, ask questions, break boundaries and take risks. It’s passionate about championing community, and as a result it’s somewhere I always choose to share new work.” There’s a pleasing sense of continuity too: her first play The Brink was staged there in 2016, and nearly ten years on she’s now supporting others to take the same step.
As for the January scratch night itself, Helen promises variety. “Audiences are in for a real treat,” she says. “Some of the work explores serious themes like grief, misogyny and mental illness, but there’s also lighter pieces and comedy. There are monologues, four-handers – hopefully something for everyone.”
Ultimately, Sober Scribbles is about showing up. “I hope audiences leave having enjoyed the evening and knowing that just by being there, they’re supporting the development of new talent in the city,” Helen says. And in a cultural landscape where alcohol so often frames how we gather, that feels like a quietly powerful act in itself. And thanks to the support of Local Solutions Helen is able to offer funded places to anyone interested who is on a low income, sober or in recovery and a resident of LCR, which is brilliant.
From a personal perspective, I like to think Sober Scribbles is about possibility – for writers, audiences, and for how we imagine our creative social spaces. Whether you’re sober, sober-curious or simply curious about new writing in the city, this is a scratch night that invites you to show up fully present, and to support new talent just by being in the room…
For more information regarding funded course places please complete this expression of interest form.
Sober Scribbles
21 January 2026
Unity Theatre
Tickets
