Nine leading UK poets have teamed up with Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre to present three short films showcasing their work.
The three films will be online for a month from 5pm on 11, 13 and 15 August, each marking the end of a day of Summer School classes from the SJT.
Each one will feature three of the poets talking about their work and reading at least one of their poems.
Curator Nadia Emam says: “These films feature some fantastic poets from all over the UK, performing a couple of their poems but also including a short interview about them and their work. Viewers will get to watch a poetry performance, but also hear a little more about the journey of each poet, which I hope will be an inspiration to anyone curious about writing poetry and making a living from it themselves. The nine poetry videos and interviews have all been individually shot under lockdown conditions and then edited and tied together into three films by Brett Chapman.”
The nine poets are:
Toby Campion is an award-winning poet and playwright. A former UK Poetry Slam Champion and World Poetry Slam finalist, Toby’s debut collection, Through your blood, was longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. Recipient of the Aurora Prize for Poetry 2019, Toby has performed around the world and on various national platforms, from Glastonbury festival to The Arts Show with Jonathan Ross. Toby will read Oyster and Nits.
Active as a Spoken Word Poet for over 20 years, Martin Daws has performed extensively in the UK, USA and Republic of Ireland, delivered numerous commissions and residencies and published two collections of his work. He was honoured as Young People’s Laureate for Wales (2013-2016). Martin will read Under the Slates, Weekend: Saturday Afternoon and Together.
Hayley Green is originally from Nottingham, now based in Scarborough. She has performed alongside artists such as Caroline Bird, Lemn Sissay and John Agard in theatres and venues across the UK and Europe. She teaches poetry and creative writing in schools, colleges and communities using poetry and creative writing to explore self-harm, mental health, sexuality, gender and identity, something which she gives particular focus to through her own poetry and performance. Hayley will read Changing Rooms and Playtime.
Ray Hearne’s poem A Sing Song for Stainless Steel was cut into 14 benches in Sheffield City centre. A contributing writer to BBC Radio 2’s Radio Ballads, Ray is currently working with a stonecutter in Barnsley to devise words for a ‘Grimethorpe Trail’. His songs have been performed and recorded by artists including Roy Bailey, Kate Rusby, and Coope Boyes and Simpson. The Ballad of Wentworth and Elsecar awaits publication in autumn 2020. Ray will read Werewolves of Rotherham and Living on Broad Yorkshire Street.
Zara Jayne started writing at the age of ten when she had her first poem published in Cosmic. She has also had a few poems published in a charity magazine called Sense, as well as writing a short play that was put on at a London theatre. She has two poems in the book A Blind Bit Of Difference. She has performed in various productions including Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis at the SJT in 2019. Zara will read Ghostlight and A Dirty World.
Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is an educator, writer and poet from West Yorkshire. Her work disrupts narratives of history, race, knowledge and power – interrogating the political purpose of conversations about Muslims, migrants, gender and violence in particular. Suhaiymah works to provide herself and others with the tools to resist systemic oppression by unlearning what society and the education system have instilled in us. Suhalymah will read British Values.
Self-proclaimed mum’s house philosopher and rap psalmist, Otis Mensah offers an alternative take on contemporary hip hop and spoken word. Endeavouring to shed light on existential commonalities through vulnerable expression, Otis’s work reads like a stream of consciousness, using aesthetic language to paint worlds of thought. Describing him as ‘dynamic, skilful and radical’, former Lord Mayor and MEP Magid Magid appointed Otis as the first poet laureate of Sheffield. Otis will read Ode to Black Thought and Shifting Sands.
Nima Taleghani is an actor, writer and workshop facilitator. Theatre and screen credits include Cyrano De Bergerac (West End), Macbeth (Royal Exchange), Armadillo (Yard Theatre), Romeo and Juliet/The Merry Wives of Windsor (RSC), Hatton Garden (ITV) and Casualty (BBC). Nima is a selector and London Ambassador for the National Student Drama Festival. Nima will read King Arthur and This City.
Beverley Ward is a writer, facilitator and coach. She writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction and is passionately in love with the creative process of writing. She’s been running writing workshops for adults and children for over 20 years and has her own writers’ workshop in Sheffield and a retreat in Bridlington. She's published poems and stories and also two books: Archie Nolan: Family Detective (for children) and Dear Blacksmith (a memoir). Beverley will read What If, The Swing in an Empty Playground and Poem for kids leaving Primary School.
The films have been curated by Nadia Emam, who wlll also lead an hour-long performance poetry workshop at 3pm on each of the three days as part of the Summer School. Nadia was a member of the SJT’s Youth Theatre and is now an actor, poet and director based in Sheffield, where she is a supported artist of The Crucible Theatre. Last year she was awarded a placement with the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme at the SJT where she curated the sell-out poetry evening Still I Rise, celebrating female poets. Her debut poetry film won the WEX Short Film Competition and was part of BFI’s Northern Exposure Short Film Programme.
The films are being created by award-winning Sheffield-based filmmaker Brett Chapman. Interested in stories about individuals and small communities, he focuses his work around people and their unique experiences. Originally trained as a journalist, Brett’s work is not limited to a single genre or form. The use of obsolete and archaic technology in his films is a staple of his work and practice.
In addition to Nadia’s poetry workshop and the films, the SJT Summer School also includes:
Tuesday 11 August (for 9-to-13-year-olds): movement and street dance with Marcquelle Ward and puppetry with Andrew Kim.
Thursday 13 August (for 14-to-18-year-olds): musical theatre with Alex Weatherhill and ‘how to do accents’ with Alix Dunmore.
Saturday 15 August (for adults): conducting an orchestra (a beginner’s guide) with Shaun Matthew and public speaking with Frances Marshall.
Access to the poetry films is open to the public and free – to watch, visit the SJT’s YouTube channel from 11 August at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUChChdq-MZrUIqOAhEIB7w
The SJT’s online Summer School cost £18 per day for all three sessions. Individual sessions can be booked at a cost of £7 each. To book, please visit: https://www.sjt.uk.com/event/1050/online_summer_school_
