Poet and literary promoter Julia Bird invites you to attend a poetry show with a difference this season
Daljit Nagra in rehearsal
Poetry readings are often simply that, readings, with little more on offer than a string of words spoken aloud. But some poems, and some audiences, demand far more in the way of performance.
Poets Colette Bryce, Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott have embraced this idea head-on with You Are Here, a new poetry show which brings the poets together on stage for a performance which asks Who are you? Where are you and where are you going?
In collaboration with literature promoter Jaybird and director Phoebe Stout, the poets have created a work based on their most engaging poems written in the ‘I’ voice. Lighting design, music, plus how the poets move, sit, stand on stage all help to enhance the emotions and moods evoked by the words.
Julia describes how she put the show together, beginning by sorting through hundreds of poems by Colette, Daljit and Jo.
“I envisaged the show to be like a party, where the poets are introducing themselves to each other and to the audience through their poems. So I got one pile of introduction poems, one of cheery anecdotes, one of beery confessions, and one of poems that could only be spoken alone. Together on stage, the poems will form a performance of work musing on the identities of performers and audience alike.”
Preparation and rehearsals completed, the show begins its tour of the UK’s arts centres and theatres on January 20th 2010.
Starting at Norwich Arts Centre www.norwichartscentre.co.uk the show then heads to to Chipping Norton, www.chippingnortontheatre.com, Newcastle upon Tyne, www.ncl.ac.uk/ncla , the Bath Literature Festival , Hull, www.hulltruck.co.uk, Lancaster www.thestorey.co.uk, Torrington, www.plough-arts.org, and various other venues until the end of April.
“When I produce live literature shows like ‘You Are Here’ (and ‘Tilting the Mirror’ before it) I’m trying to find a way to introduce the pleasures and provocations of contemporary poetry to a theatre or arts centre audience,” Julia explains. “This I do by adding the expectations that a theatre audience might have (a show with direction, a set, lighting and music that takes place in a theatre rather than a literature festival tent) to the most interesting and gorgeous poetry I can find. The poets and the director have worked fantastically hard to create an hour-long show which is full of music, meditation, humour and beauty… all you could want from poetry, really!”
For further information, please visit www.youareherepoetryshow.wordpress.com.
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