Today I was performing before a moving audience. We had about three rows of chairs in front of the stage. Around the sides and back of the hall were stalls selling jewellery, handicrafts, food and services. The event was a family fun day so I knew in advance there would be children in the audience. I arrived early, in time to rehearse and time the pieces. I was allotted 6 minutes. It took only four minutes to read two poems, the snake and the cat (cautionary tale for children), the taxman (for adults), a song, and from my book of animal poetry, the Aardvark. I could add poems from my poetry book, or read slower.
If I'd been a professional performer in an upmarket venue I would have had autocues and prompts and I would have been paid so I would have put effort into learning every poem by heart. It was a recent poem and I would have to look down to read it so I started by engaging with the audience.
The Owl Puppet
I was surprised how many of the audience were under ten years old. How do performers in pantomimes keep attention? They wear absurd clothes. They talk to the children. Sophisticated poems were not for the younger ones. Nor long poems. I should have had a chorus they could repeat, remember, join in.
Although I went on stage with the red snake around my neck, I put it down and used my owl puppet from the Harry Potter show - that was the best opener.
The Snake Poem
Then back to the snake poem and the large red snake soft toy. I had censored one of my poems about a snake bite, based on a recent story about a man who got bitten in a private place. To get the attention of the children I had a large red toy snake.
Local Colour
I added some local colour, saying the snake was a local snake, but only a soft toy so not to worry.
The Aardvark
My last poem was the Aardvark, the first poem in my book of comic poetry, Angela's Animals. I asked which members of the audience had already heard of an Aardvark. Three mothers raised their hands and I complimented them on their general knowledge. I confided that I'd just spent over an hour paginating my book starting with alligator and showed it to my husband, when he pointed out that I'd left out the Aardvark, first in the dictionary and index of animal names, so I had to write another poem and paginate all over again.
Rival Performers
By now a large number of dancers in Indian costumes were queuing up to my right ready to come on stage. This was unnerving. Was I about to be literally swept off my feet by a surge of dancers?
I ended by rounding off by saying you could see me reading poems with my owl puppet on You Tube, buy my book on Animal Poetry and meet me again at Harrow Writers Circle.
If I'd been a professional performer in an upmarket venue I would have had autocues and prompts and I would have been paid so I would have put effort into learning every poem by heart. It was a recent poem and I would have to look down to read it so I started by engaging with the audience.
The Owl Puppet
I was surprised how many of the audience were under ten years old. How do performers in pantomimes keep attention? They wear absurd clothes. They talk to the children. Sophisticated poems were not for the younger ones. Nor long poems. I should have had a chorus they could repeat, remember, join in.
Although I went on stage with the red snake around my neck, I put it down and used my owl puppet from the Harry Potter show - that was the best opener.
The Snake Poem
Then back to the snake poem and the large red snake soft toy. I had censored one of my poems about a snake bite, based on a recent story about a man who got bitten in a private place. To get the attention of the children I had a large red toy snake.
Local Colour
I added some local colour, saying the snake was a local snake, but only a soft toy so not to worry.
The Aardvark
My last poem was the Aardvark, the first poem in my book of comic poetry, Angela's Animals. I asked which members of the audience had already heard of an Aardvark. Three mothers raised their hands and I complimented them on their general knowledge. I confided that I'd just spent over an hour paginating my book starting with alligator and showed it to my husband, when he pointed out that I'd left out the Aardvark, first in the dictionary and index of animal names, so I had to write another poem and paginate all over again.
Rival Performers
By now a large number of dancers in Indian costumes were queuing up to my right ready to come on stage. This was unnerving. Was I about to be literally swept off my feet by a surge of dancers?
I ended by rounding off by saying you could see me reading poems with my owl puppet on You Tube, buy my book on Animal Poetry and meet me again at Harrow Writers Circle.
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