From Page to Stage: Playing with Performance

Page to Stage is a series of 5 workshops designed to help writers or aspiring writers take their poetry off the page and onto the stage using a variety of performance skills and confidence-boosting activities. Each session will be run by a different trained performer who will focus on the key elements you’ll need to take your performance to the next level.

Sessions will take place at The Community Works (21 Park End St, Oxford, OX1 1HU), at 1pm-3.30pm on the last Saturday of the month from April – August. Participants must book each session individually and are invited to book for all five sessions, or just the one or ones which are of interest to them.

After the workshop series has ended, all participants will have the chance to show off their finely honed performance skills and perform alongside the workshop leaders in our September showcase event! Further details and dates to follow.

Tickets are sold on three tiers, based on means: £10 is the general admission price, with a £15 tickets for those wishing to pay a bit more, but there are a limited numbers of tickets sold for £5 for those on a lower income. We emphasize that there are a limited number of these lower-cost tickets, so please only register for this lower-cost option if you need it. There is also one free ticket per session available for anyone who would benefit from these sessions, but for whom the ticket price is prohibitive. Please email us at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com if you would like to request this free ticket.

The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand.

The theme for this session is…

31 August: Playing with Performance with Orlando

In this relaxed and welcoming session, Orlando will help you build the confidence and flexibility that comes with getting your writing off the page and out onto the stage. This workshop will explore the question: what would happen if I dared put down the paper? How much fun could I have if my hands were free? Through a series of playful exercises and live coaching, Orlando will help you find your own individual performance style and encourage you to approach your work from a variety of different playful angles. By the end of the session you will be able to approach the microphone with confidence, and bring the audience into your poetry through more than just your words.

Since picking up the mic in 2017 in a whirlwind of peer pressure and wine, Orlando has featured on the London poetry scene for events such as the Farrago Poetry Slam, Speak Equal, and Big Trouble. Having received national acclaim in both Canada and the UK National Poetry slams, Orlando speaks with passion and ease born of a deep love of words, captivating and moving audiences in the most exquisitely powerful way.