Hi! I’m Steven, I’m the artistic director, writer and director at ‘Scrub Up The Misery’.

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I’ve created and performed two solo shows and now I’m taking up my directorial debut for our upcoming film. My first solo show ‘Douglas’ explored the relationship between a man and his talking cat - a dark comedic tale exploring guilt, loneliness and Tom Jones’ music. My second solo show, ‘Killing My Hamster, Aged 6’ was an autobiographical piece, in which I addressed my relationship with death and grief through my childhood to early adult years.

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I’ve spent several years as a youth facilitator across the South West, engaging young people in interdisciplinary mediums ranging from theatre, art, film & circus. I adore watching young artists flourish and gain confidence both in performance and themselves! I’ve been involved in many community projects, wherein I’ve been introduced to a wide range of people who have incredible stories to share. It’s projects like these that have encouraged me to create theatre that resonates with real people, in real time, and reflects how young people are living in today’s society. After this unprecedented year, it’s become more apparent than ever that young people are struggling with their mental health. I’m aiming towards breaking stigmas around taboo conversations that many people have never found the right space to engage with. I’m intending to create a piece that not only embodies 2020, but also the last 10, 20, 30 years and asking : just how did we end up here? How do we recover?

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Since getting a substantial role in my local village pantomime aged eleven, my love of theatre has grown considerably. I’m gripped by and heavily influenced by the theatre of Harold Pinter, Katie Mitchell, Alan Bennett and Martin McDonagh. I’m most often practicing fringe theatre and I hope to begin touring pieces like this across the country once we are all safe enough to do so!