This is an extract from September’s South West Snakebasket, to view the full version, click here.

Hello from Apples and Snakes South West,

I bring you September’s edition somewhere between mournful goodbyes and excitable beginnings – metaphorically, that is. Physically, I’m on a train between Plymouth and Exeter, a route I’m set to take on numerous occasions from here on in. I’m moving you see, setting up home with my friends Cyprus Well at the Exeter Central Library.

Forked

The Barbican Theatre is a great supporter of Apples and Snakes, having shared not only their office but their artistic visions over the years. The move comes purely as a practical one and Apples and Snakes still has lots of projects going on in relation with The Barbican. Forked is staying put in the B-Bar so you can continue to get stuck into that amongst the familiar velvet curtains and noodles, and it will continue to be home to Shake The Dust too.

Now, here’s a roundup of what’s coming up. All the autumn planning is fast becoming yesterday’s shows so get it whilst it’s fresh!

The Soul Cellar Slam

Remember the Winchester Slam, our cross regional competition where Bournemouth beat Southampton and Keli Anne B reigned champion? Well, the time has come for a re-match! We’re slamming it at the Soul Cellar in Southampton this time, with guest poet Vanessa Kisuule. It’s going to be a fun-filled night and a worthy bout of poetry.

Speaking of Keli Anne B, she will be performing at Forked later this month, alongside a luminescent line up! Think mad-cap musical poetry, heart surgery, feminism, and Facebook updates all served up by the infamous Mama Tokus!

As if that weren’t enough, we still have a few spaces left on our artist development Masterclasses with Jacob Sam La Rose. Be sure to check these out. Whether you’re a poet with a desire to teach or a teacher with a desire for poetry, sign up today!

It’s not just Apples and Snakes who are busy; this month sees the launch of Bristol Poetry Festival and various events in North Devon taking place – check out my recommendations to find out more.

Gina

Gina Sherman
Programme Coordinator, South West
gina@applesandsnakes.org / 01752 242 016

This is an extract from September’s South West Snakebasket, to view the full version, click here.

Apples and Snakes’ Snakebaskets are monthly e.newsletters, we tailor these for each of our regions. Here you will find lots of exciting poetry stuff and more about what we are up to in your area. Why not join our e.mailing list? Click here for more.

‘just wanted to say thanks for one of the best poetry-info emails I’ve ever received. Hope to attend at least a couple of the events – brilliant!’ London Snakebasket reader.

A guest post from one of our recent volunteers, Gus Simonovic.

It’s raining and the temperature is falling with the wind whipping in from the Firth of Forth. As John Malkovich, one of Hollywood’s most famous stars, found out on the city’s Royal Mile, these have become the traditional conditions that mark the beginning of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The star of Dangerous Liaisons, Con Air and 70 other films, Malkovich is such a distinctive figure in Tinseltown that he was the subject of a movie about himself: Being John Malkovich.

John Malkovich flyering

But in Edinburgh, Auld Reekie (or ‘The Athens of the North’), fame counts for nothing, and the dispiriting act of trudging late last week through the sodden heart of city, distributing leaflets, scarcely earned him a sideways glance from passers-by.

Being Gus Simonovich? One of an estimated 30,000 performers, in a city that ceases to be a city and becomes a FESTIVAL, is as close to insignificance as one (or anyone) can ever imagine. And still, this is the most exposure that I have ever had in my short performing career. Doing 2-3 shows a day, running around from venue to venue, handing out leaflets, seeing other shows, attending talks and workshops, seeing exhibitions, and in general trying to get the most of this multiple-Festival madness… did I mention rain and wind and cold?

Thousands and thousands of performances across hundreds and hundreds of venues are competing for attention from an action-hungry audience. It’s an amazing experience to be in a place where creatives have taken over! Theatre, dance, comedy, poetry, art … have taken over and everything else is unnoticeable.

My day starts (after an hour-long bus ride) with a performance of my solo show iWas, which becomes more of a poetic “discussion” with a charming, insightful and knowledgeable audience. Then it’s all run, run, run to set up for Lovers Walk. First day, it took us more than 2 hours, now we can (and have to) do it in 10 minutes … nothing could make us more ready for touring than this experience! And what a delight to stand there in front of such an appreciative and warm audience and hear the feedback after the show. We even had people coming to see the show more than once and have been invited to “guest perform” in other venues around town.

If I had to choose one word to define this whole experience it would have to be: endurance! If I was given a chance to choose another one, it would have to be: generosity. Generosity of everybody involved, generosity of all performers, generosity of the audiences, generosity of the Scottish people, unbelievable generosity of the highest quality art/performance offered in this beautiful event that brings 260 million pounds to the Scottish economy year after year. Festivals listed on this website are only a starting point. There are dozens of other festivals happening at the same time.

Violence in the UK? The only “violence” happening here is on stage … and the only fire is in fireworks at the end of the day! Athough one million roaming visitors on a constant move from one show to another might look like a looting mob.

Gus Simonovic is a spoken word and page poet from New Zealand. More information about him can be found here and here.

A guest post from Lisa Hitchen, a recent Apples and Snakes Artist Development workshop participant. The original blog post can be found at Lisa’s website here.

“The more deprived and troubled, the more poetry can help”
Peter Kahn, 27 June 2011

I don’t get out much (occupational hazard of looking after a two-year-old). But recently, through some fortuitous rearrangements of childcare, I was able attend Peter Kahn’s workshop for Apples and Snakes on performance poetry. What a fantastic day.

Ten writers and performers were taken into the world of the Chicago high school where Peter works to inspire young people to write and perform. We saw the finished products on video, then heard stories about individuals who had gone on to higher education and new careers despite challenging and turbulent backgrounds. Some were shy, others disruptive, chaotic or in trouble with drink and drugs. Their chance to write and work with others in poetry competitions had turned lives round. Really inspirational.

We were here to learn how to do this ourselves so writing and performing was a big part of the day. And, like the kids in Chicago, the emphasis was on collaborative work. Ok, so writing a poem might be tough, but as a group? Then, working together to really convey the sounds and meanings of our words. Here’s what we did:

Four stanzas in groups of three or four.

Peter Kahn

Write a poem of between two and five lines in three minutes using one of two starter phrases and one to four assigned words. Stop and pass your work to the next person in your group. Repeat. This time continuing the theme, sense or feeling of the previous writer’s work but throw in a metaphor. Pass on and throw in a sound or smell. Do it again but throw in shape or texture and some alliteration and bring to a close. At the end, check out the poems in groups. Which is strongest? Work on this for 45 minutes to develop a performance piece. Perform to the whole group.

There was no time for writer’s block but the phrases and words did help to prevent that. Then the lines from colleagues were the guide and occasionally, something oblique and original came out. In 12 minutes, it wasn’t Shakespeare but by the end, we had four 16-line poems.

I worked with Errol, Nathan and Eddy. One piece really seemed to stand out to us. Simpler and clearer, less disjointed than the others, still a bit fantastical but hey, that was the idea!

Then we worked on how to perform, looking at words first. How and who says what? Sitting outside the Betsy Trotwood pub in the afternoon sun, it was like The Apprentice. Everyone had lots of ideas but when to push and put them out there and when to hang back.  ‘We’ve got 45 minutes – loads of time,’ I said brightly at one point. But no, it wasn’t.

One technique Peter introduced us to was ‘spinning’. This is where one person speaks out the first part of a sentence then two, three and finally all four people come in as the sentence goes along to create emphasis. You can spin up or down for different impact.

After words, we moved to movements and gestures. What do you physically do to really carry the meaning of the piece?

By the end we had a few too many complicated ideas and, to be honest, were not entirely sure where they all went (or at least I wasn’t). Two scripted rehearsals (no time to learn by heart) and onto the performance. During these we simplified things somewhat. On third and final (performance rehearsal) it went pretty well. A great exercise in group learning and lots of fun.

I want to develop my poetry and performance skills to work with school children so this gave me some great ideas plus I made a few contacts from the slam scene.

Lisa Hitchen is a journalist and writer based in London and is at the beginning of her career in performance poetry.  She wants to work in schools with pupils on writing skills and speaking out, using their own words and feelings. You can contact her on lfhitchen@gmail.com.