Dear Jens,
This must be a very interesting but intense week for because of the literature week. How was the reading on Saturday? How was it for you as a moderator? I hope it is a huge success. Can not wait to hear all about it.
Thank you so much for “taking me around” to the literature house, the Literaturkontor and the city library. It is now very apparent that Bremen has a huge respect for literature what with all these platforms for writers! It is really nice to see where you get to do what you truly love.
Have I told you about the Lantern Meet of Poets in Kampala? I think I mentioned them when I linked Peter Kagayi’s interview on Sooo Many Stories. Well, The Lantern Meet Of Poets has a recital starting tomorrow till Saturday.
I have attended their poetry recitals since their very first recital and I have always been curious about the process of putting together a recital. They allowed me to join them for one their rehearsals. We met in the Green Room at The National Theatre in the evening and the session began with one of the members asking how our day was. Patrick Massa, the Director/Producer of the recital walked in at around that time and asked the members to gather around for some games. All phones were to be in silent mode so as not to interrupt anything.
I did not quite get the use for the games until Massa explained the reason behind the first game, the falling game. In the game, different members were to let themselves fall and the members in the circle had to run and make sure that the falling member did not really fall.
“Fall. Take a risk and trust these people. You are going to perform with these people and that takes trust too,” He encouraged.
Patrick Massa (middle) gives instructions to David Kangye (left) and Peter Kagayi (right) before the games.
The next game was to reenact the emotions that he called out. From anger to happiness to shyness to surprise, we were asked to reenact them with the person nearest to us and at some point, we had to do so without uttering any words. Because I am not a natural performer, this was a hard task for me and I was so grateful I did not have to perform. Most times I giggled when I should have been swearing that I was going to cut off someone’s head. Afterwards, we were asked to share what we had learnt from that game:
Do as I do.
Performing is about shared energy. The energy you give the audience is the same they will give back to you.
Sometimes the audience is a mirror of your performance. Prepare well and package the performance well so they can feel the emotions you want to convey.
Sometimes it is hard to be angry when there is no need to be (Oh so that wasn’t just me?). Hold onto a memory that may have made you feel that way before.
Be as creative as you can be.
“You knew. You knew. You knew.” recites the poet.
After the games, all chairs were moved to the same side of the room for performers to perform infront of us. All around me, lips were moving as the performers went over their lines, their faces sometimes cringing at a line forgotten. Memories of moments when we would be chanting the order of the periodic table right before a Chemistry exam in high school came rushing.
One by one, performers took to the stage, some still reading their poems off a piece of paper, others reaching into their memories for lines they had been going over. As the audience, we were asked to give honest feedback to the performers so they could see what they could do better.
“I promise. This is the last time I am reading from this paper,” promised one performer.
“Can we do it again?” said another after stumbling over a couple of lines.
You’re giving us, the audience, a cold shoulder. Look at us. Involve us.
I’m trying to give you feedback without using words that are harsh.
How do you feel about that performance?
Record your performance and listen to it and see if you like what you hear.
Each poet stood and took the feedback, made notes and in some cases where the interpretations of the poems were different, queried the feedback. They stood, vulnerable and took note of what was good and what was very bad.
Jason Ntaro reads a poem from his phone.
Remember, the stage is yours.
Do you believe in the message of the poem?
That poem does not need to be recited. It needs to be acted.
You have become a predictable performer. Your words are emphatic enough, no need to overdo it.
Elijah Bwojji, a member of the Lantern Meet of Poets since 2009 says What Shall We Name This Child is about identity and culture.
“It’s something we found ourselves going back to for about a year. We asked ourselves who we are in light of our past.” Once the discussions on the theme begun, poems were written and auditions for the performers were held.
I can’t wait to see the transformation the performers will have undergone for the performances this weekend!
Kangye
Did I get that right?:
First, they write their poems, second, they train their general performance skills, third, they perform their poems in rehearsal conditions, fourth, they perform their poems in a recital(?).
Do the poems change (substantially or in appearance) because of new insights/knowledge due to the rehearsals?
Do new poems come to their minds/hands, because of acting with language and their body material? – and if so, do such poems differ from those, that were created on the desktop?
Hi Tom, yes you got all that right.
The poems do not change but the performance/delivery does as the feedback comes in. Please note that the people who recite the poems are not (in most cases) the people who wrote the poems.
Ah, ok, I didn’t get that in the first moment.
Nevertheless, I still wonder whether the experiences they made with the recital/ with performing (their) texts, are influencing the poems or (their) ways of creating poems – therefore I’m also very looking forward to your report.
Dear Nyana,
Yes, I ‘ve had a few intense days with interesting readings and a lot of work. But, unfortunately I have been ill for the past couple of days, that´s the reason why I haven´t written anything (sorry about that). I will write more about the literature week and my experiences with moderation tomorrow, so that you get a little impression. Thank you so much for your post about “The Lantern Meet Of Poets“. I like how serious they prepare themselves for their recital. The games you described I know from improvisation theatre (I guess, Tom will know them, too), but I never used these ones for the preparation of a reading. I suppose many writers underestimate the importance of good preparation for a reading. I mean, you don’t have to be a good reader to be a good writer, but if you go out to present your own texts to an audience you should be prepared. That´s the reason why I love these sentences of your text:
“Performing is about shared energy. The energy you give the audience is the same they will give back to you.“/ “Sometimes the audience is a mirror of your performance. Prepare well and package the performance well so they can feel the emotions you want to convey.“
That is so true. I would like to attend a poetry recital of “The Lantern Meet Of Poets” and I´m curious to hear about your impressions. And like Tom, I wonder how big the difference between the rehearsal and the recital would be, how much it would change their performance or maybe even their poems.
Oh Jens! I am sorry you have been unwell. I hope you feel better pretty soon.
I am very curious to see how different the recital is from what the rehearsal looked like. I’ll attend the show this evening and let you know how it goes!
Feel better!
I agree with you and the quoted passages, but want to add and share an experience I had at the weekend:
One of my best friends was celebrating a decadal birthday (friends, family, colleagues, etc., everyone there) and I wanted do a little performance/slam poetry at the champagne reception. I did some preparations similar to them you, Nyana, described, but actually I didn’t have to create an atmosphere, because of this very special situation, where everyone already is enriched with energy – I was thinking about the passages Jens quoted and suddenly felt like I was mirroring the audience and not the other way round. So they gave me emotions, that were appropriate for this moment.
That is not to say, that it couldn’t work the other way round, no. I just wanted to say that I really loved this moment that accrued because of the discussion in this Blog and suddenly gave me a sense for the material of autopoietic-feedback-loops (my clumsy translation for a term I only know in german ‘autopoietische Feedback-Schleifen’ – anyone knowing a better translation?).
That’s a good example. For sure you’re right, it´s more complex. I also remember performances, where I got a lot of energy from the audience (that’s great) – usually it’s a kind of interplay. But I also remember performances, where I started well prepared and full of enthusiasm, but the spark didn’t jump in the audience and there is nothing you can do about it (that´s horrible).
Hey Nyana,
I can’t wait to hear how the Lantern Meet’s performances go. I had an awesome opportunity to work with them way back in 2010. They are super! Looking forward to hearing more.
I hope it went well. Seeing this now and I remember how I had to learn acting drunk. Writing a poem is one thing and acting it is quite another moreso when you have to carry the emotion the writer intended. Or the mode of delivery that the audience will be able to easily receive it. That I have had the chance to do both, I’m grateful to the Lantern Meet of Poets.