Date/Time
Date(s) - Fri 25th Nov - Sun 27th Nov, 2016
6:00pm - 4:00pm
Location
Moniack Mhor, Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire , IV4 7HT
Please note: this is a partnership course. Bookings must be made with Rally & Broad (details below).
Rally & Broad is thrilled to announce its third and final masterclass weekend of 2016. After two weekends with Francesca Beard and Ross Sutherland at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, we’re taking to the hills in the glorious surrounds of Moniack Mhor in Invernesshire, for a residential weekend with award winning poet, playwright and performer Caroline Bird.
About the workshop – Writing Poems For Performing
Caroline will spend the weekend leading participants through an exploration of the mechanisms and language for performance. In her own words…
‘Before you can surprise an audience, you must first surprise yourself on the page. This is not a crash-course in ‘the right style,’ but rather a process of unlearning in order to encounter afresh. How can we delight, frighten, confuse and confound ourselves on paper, and then bring that to the stage? How can we write and perform like ourselves? Expect to write an almost criminal amount of poems.’
About the facilitator – Caroline Bird
Caroline is one of Rally & Broad’s favourite poets and performers. We’re absolutely thrilled that she’ll be leading our final workshop.
Caroline was born in 1986 and grew up in Leeds before moving to London in 2001. She studied English Literature at Oxford University.
Caroline had been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize twice in 2008 and 2010 and was the youngest writer on the list both times. She was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2014. She has also won an Eric Gregory Award (2002) and the Foyle Young Poet of the Year award two years running (1999, 2000), and was a winner of the Poetry London Competition in 2007, the Peterloo Poetry Competition in 2004, 2003 and 2002. Caroline was on the shortlist for Shell Woman Of The Future Awards 2011.
Caroline has had four collections of poetry published by Carcanet. Her first collection Looking Through Letterboxes (published in 2002 when she was only 15) is a topical, zesty and formally delightful collection of poems built on the traditions of fairy tale, fantasy and romance. . Her fourth collection, The Hat-Stand Union, was described by Simon Armitage as ‘spring-loaded, funny, sad and deadly.’ She was one of the five official poets at London Olympics 2012. Her poem, The Fun Palace, which celebrates the life and work of Joan Littlewood, is now erected on the Olympic Site outside the main stadium.
Caroline Bird began writing plays as a teenager when she was the youngest ever member of the Royal Court Young Writer’s Programme, tutored by Simon Stephens. Caroline’s new version of The Trojan Women premiered at the Gate Theatre at the end of 2012 to wide critical acclaim. In 2013, Caroline was short-listed for Most Promising New Playwright at the Off-West-End Awards.
She is currently writing the book and lyrics for Dennis the Menace the Musical for The Old Vic.
For more information, please visit the Rally & Broad website.
Bookings
Places can be booked via Eventrite here. Please direct all enquiries to rallyandbroad@gmail.com