Scratch Theater

Robert Rodgers founded Scratch Theater in San Francisco in 1995, drawing on his background as an acrobat and clown who had toured with Cirque du Soleil and worked in stand-up circuits and feature films. The ensemble was subsequently relocated to Berlin, where Rodgers rebuilt it as a long-form storytelling company.

In Berlin, Scratch Theater performs at the Ratibor Theater (in the "Impro Embassy" series) and the Neue Buhne Friedrichshain. Ensemble members include Theresa Mertens, Dietger van Antwerpen, Naomi Blakeslee, Esther Tchlakichvili, Liav Gabay, and Rodgers, each bringing backgrounds from visual art, physical performance, and classical acting traditions.

The Scratch Impro School, directed by Rodgers, runs beginners through advanced courses at Boxhagener Strasse 18 in Friedrichshain. Specialisations include clowning and the Meisner technique applied to improvisation.

Scratch Theater describes its practice as rooted in "circus and film," creating performances the company calls "unique spectacles bursting with lights and sounds." Every show is unrepeated. The ensemble specialises in long-form improvisation, constructing narratives of 20 minutes or more without scripts.

The Scratch Impro School builds training around "collaboration, listening, and vulnerability." Rodgers's circus and clown background is distinctive among Berlin improv pedagogy: the school incorporates clowning and a Meisner technique approach alongside conventional long-form practice.