North East
We are currently advertising for a Programme Coordinator – North East. Full details of this role can be found on jobs at apples & snakes page.
from Claire, programmer north east
My name is Claire Morgan and I am the Apples & Snakes Programme Coordinator for the North East. I have been in role since September 2008, based at ARC in Stockton on Tees. I have been at large developing gigs, workshops and exciting spoken word projects in the North East region. So far I have been able to stretch to activities in Teesside, Tyneside and Wearside. I am frustrated by the lack of time I have and would like to do more – more gigs, more work further afield in the region and taking a more pro-active and strategic approach to what I do.
The Region
The North East covers Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside. The region has a strong literary tradition and a small but really active spoken word scene, with poets and promoters doing amazing things upstairs in pubs. This is particularly the case with The Cumberland Arms in Newcastle, which is the hub of regular spoken word event 10 x 10 run by Zebra Publishing, who also run events such as regular poetry slams and the BBC Radio 4 heat of the North East poetry slam.
Events also take place upstairs in The Bridge Hotel, Newcastle and The Waiting Room in Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees. The Lit & Phil and Mining Institute in Newcastle is also a hub for lots of performance poetry readings and events, including Northern Lines run by Keith Armstrong, Red Squirrel Press and a range of local reading groups and authors visiting the region. The Mining Institute was also host venue for Monkfish Productions multimedia spoken word extravaganza The Dead That Never Lived as part of Monkfish’s innovative multimedia spoken word residency Word Circus at The Round in 2008. This led to the setting up of eclectic poetry ensemble Monkfish Word Tank Collective at large at gigs and with their Poetry Booth! Hyperlexic is a stand up poetry initiative run by locally based poet Kate Fox, who is fast gaining a national reputation due to her regular poetry residency on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live. She and Jeff Price of Zebra Publishing were part of the legendary Newcastle based poetry troupe Poetry Vandals.
Further afield, there a small number of events taking place on Teesside run by local poets Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby, Colpitts Poetry in Durham City is a very well established regular poetry event featuring poets with local, national and international profile. And there is a regular Poetry Jam night run at Waddington Street Centre in Durham, which is an informal and friendly opportunity for poets both new and established. There are other events and initiatives popping up out there all the time, and I apologise to those of you I have may have left off who are also part of this rich and exciting scene, one currently with very little infrastructure, with people doing things with little or no resources but with a whole load of talent and imagination. Sadly, there remains a reluctance on the part of most venues in the region to take a risk and programme spoken word, despite the growth in audiences. The glowing exception to this is ARC in Stockton on Tees, who demonstrate their passion for spoken word through a robust programme of gigs, shows and events each season as an intrinsic part of their activities. However, there is a small light on the horizon as The Saville Exchange in North Shields (Tyneside) have taken a positive approach to building spoken word into the programme recently, and there have been some tentative steps made by Northern Stage in Newcastle.
Spoken word events are occasionally programmed as part of the region’s two literature festivals: Durham Book Festival and Hexham Book Festival.
What I can do
Well.....I can’t wave a magic wand but I can offer advice, signposting and support to artists and poets based in the region. This might be in the shape of artist one to ones or indentifying artists to be part of a range or gig line ups, leading workshops or other exciting activities such as poetry residencies and work in schools and education. I am also hoping to get some lolly together to support the creative practice development of a small number of performance poets in the region. This will be with a view to developing relationships with a number of venues in the region.
I am in the process of looking at developing the region through setting up a Spoken Word Forum, giving both poets and promoters a platform to ideas, exchange good practice and help to develop a more robust infrastructure for spoken word.
I’m always up for new ideas and to have a chat so please get in touch to look at how we can make things happen! That doesn’t mean I will necessarily take all your ideas on, but I might be able to offer some helpful advice, and ear and defo a coffee.
Please be patient with me – I work 3 days a week and I have to cover a whole region!
Claire is Programme Coordinator for North East claire@applesandsnakes.org 01642 665 401
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