South West introduction

The south west has a hugely diverse and exciting voice that Apples and Snakes has been lucky enough to work with. It is now my intention to give these voices the opportunity to grow, to educate and be educated, and to fulfil their true potential.

The South West region covers Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire - so quiet big! Currently events take place in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset with an aim to build on Wiltshire and Gloucestershire connections.

By far the strongest Apples and Snakes presence is in Devon which is the biggest county in the region and where the South West office is based. Devon is the perfect example of the South West infrastructure with bigger cities like Plymouth and Exeter and more rural parts in the North. Area’s such as Bristol which is the capital city in the South West, have strong performance poetry and spoken word networks. This is why we focus more on areas like Devon which need more support and audience development, however we do get involved with bigger city events in Bristol and elsewhere to continue being part of these more developed scenes.

Each Region has different needs and areas of focus which change and develop as time goes on, so my programme is made up of regular live events and time specific projects allowing me to provide high quality poetry to new and loyal audiences whilst adapting to the current needs of the region.

What is being done
Regular Apples and Snakes South West spoken word nights in the South West:
•    Forked! - Poetry to Inspire Delight and Provoke. Every 2 months a cabaret style evening with 4 poets and a regular compere, including a headline act. A combination of regional and National talent.
•    The Gallery Sessions - Live poetry in intimate setting. Every 3 months or 4 a year, poets each perform 20 minute sets in a gallery cafe space. A combination of high quality poetry in a diverse range of styles, from original readings to hip hop infused lyrics, storytelling to exerts from solo shows.
•    Solo shows at Studio QT, a theatre within a theatre, Studio@QT is a new space for cutting edge performance. With a 180 seat theatre space and full tech available, I programme exciting solo shows from exciting poets, often working with theatricality and technology.
•    Theatre shows at The Barbican Theatre - I programme performance poetry shows in the main theatre (Plymouth) in collaboration with the artistic director. These shows focus on interdisciplinary work and aim to bring spoken word to a Theatre audience.
•    Apples and Snakes @ Exeter Poetry Festival - Launched in 2010 Exeter Poetry Festival takes place between 7-th and 9th October, Apples and Snakes programme the Saturday night.
•    Apples and Snakes @ Port Eliot Festival - an ongoing well established literature festival which has seen numerous different programmed events from Apples and Snakes.

Professional Development programme
Professional Development work is key to the South West Programme and a need that was identified as top priority since 2010. Here are some of the projects I have run:
•    Kindle: an intensive 6 session course for poets who want to focus on the development of ‘performance’ within their work. The outcome being a 3 poem ‘mini set’ which is stage ready. The course consisted of taught lessons, master classes with experts, writing and performance tasks and analytical sessions. The poets performed one poem each at ‘FORKED’ and continue to work together, setting up poetry nights and performing across the South West. Kindle is set to continue throughout the region with different groups, experiences and ages.
•    Escape: Escape master classes occur across all regions and more info on this can be found in the educational section. Examples of master classes recently run in the South West include:
•    Poetry Off the Page with Francesca Beard
•    Something From Nothing - an exploration into site specific interactions, improvisation and reading the space. Run by Hannah Ringham of Shunt Theatre

I would love to hear from any poets or poet enthusiasts out there who perform and attend events in the South West.

Gina Sherman, Apples and Snakes South West Programme Coordinator
The Barbican Theatre, Castle Street, Plymouth, PL1 2NJ
gina@applesandsnakes.org / www.applesandsnakes.org