Every quarter we organise new pitches. You can find the most current dates and performance period on this page. You sign up via the registration form.

Are you still submitting a draft after the closing date? No problem, you will then join the next round. Do you want to sign up but cannot perform in the stated performance period? Then sign up anyway. Together we will find a performance moment, if we programme you, even if that is later in the year.

Please note, you can only sign up via our registration form. We do not automatically process direct emails.

Our committee assesses your application on:

• Artistic quality

• Relevance and topicality of your subject. Is your show interesting and accessible for a larger audience than only your own circle?

• Creativity and originality. Does your show tell something new, in form or in story?

• Storytelling and structure. Is there a development or a tension arc? Scala is at heart a theatre, so we like to see a theatrical or narrative arc.

• Impact. Does your plan move us, and therefore later also the audience?

• Diversity. We receive many applications in the same genres. What makes your application unique?

  
  

Please note, we especially encourage artists with an English language or language free show to apply.

If you are invited, the next round consists of a live pitch in which you show 12 to 15 minutes of concrete material from the show you want to perform at our venue. After that, there is time to answer questions.

We give you almost a month of preparation time, so you can think carefully about the arc of your final show, its relevance and its impact. Scala assumes that the show you pitch is also the show you perform with us if you are selected. We aim to let you know within 10 working days after the pitch whether we will programme you.

Click here for the current schedule.

• Be clear about your answers. If we do not know exactly what you are going to do, the chance of an invitation becomes smaller. The more information, the better, but do not make it too long either.

• We realise that your show is still in development, but that does not take away our wish to see a clear plan, so we know what we might programme.

• Add video and audio material, either specially recorded for your application or existing material. This gives us a much better picture of you and your concept.

• A set is a plus! Our audience often appreciates it too. So do not think, I had better take up as little space as possible and need nothing. We challenge you to come up with a creative plan.

• Make sure your application shows which theatrical line your show follows. We are at heart a theatre and find a narrative arc important, whatever genre you submit.

Following the pitches, we programme the shows that we find suitable. Either way, we will find a place for you if your show fits Scala.

Resubmitting exactly the same concept does not make much sense. If your concept has developed since then, we warmly invite you to sign up again. Then make very clear what you have changed compared with last time, so it is clear to us.

• Your show lasts exactly 20 minutes.

• Scala programs all genres: theatre, music theatre, cabaret, stand up comedy, music, dance, mime, puppet theatre, circus, multimedia and more.

• The show fits in a small space with a playing area of about 5 square metres. You perform close to and/or between the audience.

• Your show consists of no more than 3 people. We prefer 1 or 2, due to the limited space and the financial fee.

• Your show is accessible and easy to follow for an audience that does not often go to the theatre. At Scala we focus on new theatre audiences. That means many of our visitors can rarely be found in regular theatres and are not familiar with theatre conventions and rules. They also come for a night out. We want the audience to understand what they are watching and to tell people who stayed home afterwards, with enthusiasm, what they saw. But accessible and light does not mean shallow or empty. We are looking for a good middle ground.

Yes, you can use existing material, whether from others or from yourself. If you use material from others in your concept, you are responsible for paying the copyright fees due and for obtaining the necessary permission or licence to perform it. You are of course always allowed to pitch your own material that you have performed elsewhere, although we have a slight preference for new material that you perform at Scala for the first time.

No. Scala only programmes professional artists, but professionals come in many forms. If you have a completed arts education or are still studying, or if you have several years of relevant professional experience, you can submit a draft.

Nee, je hoeft zeker niet in Amsterdam te wonen, maar Scala heeft helaas geen financiële middelen om reiskosten te vergoeden. 

We usually programme performance periods of two consecutive weeks, but this is subject to consultation. If we programme you, we agree your performance period together with you. Scala is mainly open from Wednesday to Saturday in the evening, and on the last Sunday of the month in the afternoon.

You normally perform three shows per evening. The start times depend on the room you perform in:

• Room 1 | 19.00, 20.00 and 21.00 hours

• Room 2 | 19.25, 20.25 and 21.25 hours

• Room 3 | 19.30, 20.30 and 21.30 hours

• Room 4 | 18.55, 19.55 and 20.55 hours

  
  

We expect you to be present at least 30 minutes before the start of your first show. On your first performance evening, that is 60 minutes.

Scala has a sound system and provides theatre lights and a modest lighting plan. Do you have different lighting looks? Then you click through them yourself with a simple button. No technician is present during your show, so any changes in lighting and sound are done by you and must be built into your show.

Scala pays you 35% of the ticket income. The ticket price is €12.50 per show, including VAT. How much you earn therefore depends on the number of tickets sold. Scala does its utmost to sell as many tickets as possible and expects the same effort from theatre makers. We support you with a PR plan, and our email is always open for questions.

We pay one fee per show. You are therefore responsible for dividing it among everyone involved in your show. The fewer people you perform or create the show with, the more income you naturally keep per person.

At Scala you work as a freelancer. You do sign a collaboration agreement. If you are not registered as self employed (zzp), you can have your pay processed through a payroll agency. Any additional costs are for your own account.

Besides the financial fee, we offer you free rehearsal space, you reach a new audience that is largely generated by Scala, and you expand your network. You may also sell merchandise and/or poetry collections, songbooks, LPs, and so on.

Do you have further questions about programming? Email Merlijne at merlijne@scala-amsterdam.nl.