Tips wanted for poetry recitals

[Irene]

Can anyone give some handy tips for reciting poetry?
Jurien Bay are having their 100th birthday celebrations soon, and they were organising a bush poets breakfast. However, they have left it too late to get a performance poet organised (unless there is somebody out there who would like to take a quick trip over to the west and join us!!  :lol:   :lol:   :lol: )

They are trying to talk a few locals into doing some poetry recitals -including me - but I have never done that before, and am not at all sure that I would be particularly successful in doing so. The very idea of standing up in front of people reciting poetry is a scary thought, although I would love to be able to do so with confidence.

Where, and how, did everyone else get started in that field, and what tips does anyone have for doing a good job? What is the protocol involved in reciting some of the old poems of Banjo Paterson, etc - do you need to get permission from someone?

Catchya
IRene

[kio]

IRene, my dear dear ... umm.. friend I guess...

What a silly question..

I am sure you know someone very sort of close to you who is one of the masters when it comes to recitals..
Of course, his son isnt bad either.. considering it is in a movie docco thing of him and an older mate reciting "The Man from Snowy River" to a henhouse full of totally enthralled young lady chickens..
You need to find a way to entice that elderly gentleman from Three Springs to do his stuff... even if you got him half pickled first on spirits, then YOU started the ball rolling..
I am sure he would feel compelled to follow through.
You could of course of asked your Brother.. I am sure, if he was nearby, he might give it a fair crack too.
Now, I believe that old gentleman knows a singer called Brian Letton.. ok, you may not get him, but these are possibilities. Hm, maybe it is BRians Dad the old gentleman knows.. a Farrier of fair repute!

Anyway, when is the celebration weekend IRene?
You have my mobile number.. feel free to call

[Glenny Palmer]

...
....Dear Irene,

I've heard of leaving things to the last minute....but gees....you'd reckon they could find someone in 100 years....??
Looks like you're halfway sorted, but in case.....

We all started exactly where you are now.....chucked up on stage, with legs wobbling, dry mouth, shaking pages....well hands.....& guess what?....we all survived. You give it a go love.....you'll be glad you did. It's perfectly normal to have performance anxiety.....big names still get it all the time.

Anyhow, you asked for tips.....

Remember who you are there for....the audience. If they laugh in the middle of one of your lines...STOP....& let them....until they finish laughing. It's called good timing.
Pretend you are having a barbie....& they all came, & you don't have to cook....just mix & be friendly.
Never ever....not ever....ever ever.....apologise to an audience....it makes them very uncomfortable. Everyone loses their lines at some time.....(I know!). I usually just say, "If you want to hear the rest of that....buy my CD." & then move on....quickly.
Always, always acknowledge an author's work. It is basic respect to seek an author's permission to recite his/her work. In the case of old masters, you can hardly ask them, (& expect a reply) so just acknowledge their authorship.
Try & get any performer's details well before you introduce them if you can. If you are the mc, have a clipboard with little one liners/jokes that you can call upon if nothing else springs to mind. If you have advance knowledge of numbers & who they are, do up a little running sheet to keep you on track.

But most of all.....have fun & be yourself.

The very best of luck Irene....be sure to let us know how you go.
cheers.....
Glenny

[zondrae]

Hi Irene,

Now I preface my tuppency worth with, I am still very much the amateur in the performance ring but I 'have a go' at a few Folk Music Festival Poets Breakfasts. I have been getting up for about 3 years and at first only read my poems from a shaking sheet. Now I try to recite from memory and even though I sometimes forget the next bit, when it's my own poems, who's to know if I skip a few lines.

I was inspired by seeing my very first poets at a Festival at Majors Creek some 4 years ago. Vic Jefferies was the MC that day and Barry Lake was another of the performers. Since then I have met many of the members of The Australian Bush Poets Assn and I have been encouraged to write and perform. I am loving this new hobby I have taken up in retirement and find I would be lost without the contact with the e-friends I have made through the websites.

Vic Jefferies gives workshops at Festivals and I found his advice very helpful. He is a great performer of both the classics and his own poems.

Some of his tips: Choose appropriate material (some poems suit males and others females). Plan what you are going to say by way of introduction. Practice the poems out loud. Practice in front of a mirror. Time your performance ( in the case of competitions). Always turn up early for a performance.  If you want to do a poem by a living writer (eg Glenny) you must ask permission! Always give the authors name (if not yourself) before and after you have recited the piece.

I must be getting better at it as I have had someone request to hear one of my poems. I have also had many people come up to me after a session and tell me they laughed or cried etc. and loved my poem. I have stuck with the writing and was awarded a second placing in a written competition recently. I also was awarded the best performance of Original work at this years Mt Kembla Mining and Heritage Festival.

In any case I encourage you to give it a go. The first time is the worst. It gets easier after that. My first few trys I was concentrating on not falling over! I am sure your audience will appreciate your efforts.

[zondrae]

...and another thing.

If you get a story or advertisement in the local free paper, you will be surprised at how many people turn up with a bit of paper in their pocket with their own poem they would like to read.

[Irene]

OOps!!! Did I say 100 yrs?!? I meant 50 yrs (just attended 100yrs celebrations at Three Springs, and got mixed up!!!) That doesn't make us so bad, Glenny - only took 50 yrs to try and find someone!!!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Still trying to decide if I really can go through with doing this! Tried reciting (no, reading!) The Man from Snowy River" to a friend during my lunch break today, and that was bad enough with just an audience of one!!!  :oops:  

It is great to read the advice from everyone, and I will be sure to pass it all on to the other poor bug**rs that are getting conned in like me!!! I guess we will all be in much the same boat anyway.  One of the highschool classes had to all learn and recite a poem with props for their english class last term, so we are hoping a couple of them will join in also.

If I forget my lines, Glenny, can I just say, ...'if you want to hear the rest, buy Glennys CD's'?  :lol:

I never thought of a preamble, so will have to remember to get everyone to include one before their poem. I must check that they have someone organised as MC, as that is definitely not my scene!!

Zondrae, will follow your suggestion of putting an article in the local paper to find others interested in reciting - hopefully will get some good response.

Kio
Did think of asking the gentleman in Three Springs to perform for us, but I think he has trouble remembering all the words now - he would most certainly do a rousing rendition of "The Man from Snow River" for us if he did!!

We can't offer you a captive audience of 'young lady chickens' to listen to your poetry, but could certainly offer a captive audience of 'young, lovely ladies (ok, ok - older, worn ladies, maybe?!?)
What are you doing on 12th November - would you perchance be in the Jurien vicinity to participate?

Thanks all, and will certainly let you know how we get on.

Catchya
IRene

[the mad mare]

Hi Irene,

I can't offer any decent advice about the performing part because I'm not much good.  I'm getting better, but still not to the stage where I can offer advice.  You'll be nervous before and during, but glad you did it afterwards!

I wish you all the best with your event and try to enjoy it!

Kym.

[Ric Raftis]

G'day Irene,

There is so much advice one can give about what makes a good performance poet it isn't funny, so I won't bore you with a book on the subject.

For me, I tell people that the most important thing is to learn your lines.  Learn them so well that they are second nature to you.  Then you can simply get up on stage and have a conversation with your audience and when you are having a conversation, gesticulation, animation and appropriate inflections will come very naturally to you.

Oh, and of course, the more you do it, the better you get, but that's like anything of course (except fishing!).

[Glenny Palmer]

...
....I caught a fish once.......My brother wouldn't let me have his line, & he wasn't catching any, so I pinched his line, & then couldn't get the worm to stay on....& he wouldn't help me....so I stuck a sultana on the end of the hook to keep the worm on....I caught a dirty big bream! Wasn't he dirty......so we got in a fight, & Mum had to break it up......I was 25 at the time...
Anyway.....sultanas....that's the 'crack'....(as my darlin' would say.)

What was this thread about.....

xx Glenny

[Ric Raftis]

And so with your expertise in fish firmly established Glenny, you moved on to Crocs did you?  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[zondrae]

another of Vics tips is,

Learn a poem by memorising just two lines at a time. It seems less daunting that way. (I try to do it in phrases, rather than lines.)

[the mad mare]

Hi Irene,

Have you had the big weekend yet or is it still coming?  Let us know how you went.

Kym.

[Glenny Palmer]

...
....G'day Ric

Seems very much that way, eh? (but sultanas didn't work on him.)

...

[Irene]

Hi Kym
It is this weekend - I am not at sure that it is a good idea - but guess I can only make a complete idiot of myself!!!  :lol:  :lol: Who knows - I might even find I enjoy it ( and pigs may fly!!)

Will certainly let you know how it goes next week.

Catchya
Irene

[zondrae]

Good Luck Irene,

I have Majors Creek Festival this weekend and the Snowey River Festival at Dalgety next weekend. I'll let you know how I go too.

If you have chosen a poem or two you love and give it your best I'm sure you will go over like a house on fire.