The Live Literature Consortium is delighted to announce the full programme for the third and final Lit Up Showcase & Conference, which focuses on selling live literature and spoken word.

The day will begin with a keynote speech from Emma Stenning, Executive Director of Bristol Old Vic, followed by Pen-ultimate’s debut show, A Night on the Tiles (click here for a trailer ). Lit Up Associate Artist Polarbear will be performing his show ‘RETURN’ and later in the day, the Live Literature Consortium marketing team will present their marketing campaigns for these two shows for discussion.

Seminars through the day will feature:

• Richard Morgan, Producer at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Kate McGrath from Fuel Theatre and Kate Tull, independent producer, discussing selling live literature to venues


• Poet and live literature impresario Tom Chivers and Julia Payne, Director of ‘the hub’ on digital selling
  
  
• Gavin Barlow, CEO/Artistic Director and Tracy Brunt, Head of Development & Communications from the Albany talking with poet and performer Charlie Dark and ex-Manchester Poetry Festival Director Ric Michael about selling work to audiences
  

Lit Up Associate Artists Maxwell Golden, Charlie Jordan, Steve Tasane and Yusra Warsama will be showcasing their work, and the day will finish, following Polarbear’s performance, with a drinks reception.

Inua Ellams will perform his one man show, The 14th Tale, at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre between 9 February – 13 March 2010. A comic and moving self-portrait of life growing up in Nigeria, Dublin and London, The 14th Tale features stories of Inua’s upbringing, of his schools, friends and family, and of his experiences of moving to the UK.

The show was previewed at the Lit Up Showcase & Conference in June 2009, and we are delighted that the show has met with such success. It won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival in August before a UK tour in the autumn 2009, winning praise from audiences and critics alike:

“The 14th Tale comes as a sharp reminder of the power of language and rhythm in theatre, and of how dramatic poetry can create whole worlds through the voice of a single performer.” Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

“Intimate and engaging… the theatrical calling card of a bright young talent.” Donald Hutera, The Times

Inua will also be performing The 14th Tale in Dartington, Bedford and Canterbury in February 2010. For more details visit www.fueltheatre.com

Following their debut performance of Mind the Gap at Lit Up in June 2009, Cumbrian writers and Lit Up Associate Artists Beth Broomby, Zosia Wand and Kirstie Pelling are continuing to develop their work in conjunction with Brewery Arts Centre.

Mind the Gap set out to highlight the universal plight of the female juggler (otherwise known as the working mother) and explore the chasm between expectation and reality in modern life that most people experience, but not everyone admits to.

Described as ‘Sex and the City, without the sex or the city,’ the twenty minute performance mixed poetry, drama, journalism, song, and random prices from the White Company catalogue, in an exploration of what it means to be a rural working mother.

Six months on from that performance, Beth, Zosia and Kirstie are still writing, and together with Linda Graham from Brewery Arts Centre, they hope to progress their skills in performance poetry and live literature. Their new work will explore their role in, and response to landmark events: Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, Valentine’s day, sports day, harvest festival day, birthdays, holidays and everything in between. It will be a girls night out, as well as a dark comedy, a celebration of the mundane and the weird, and a comforting reassurance that a sticking plaster and a kiss really will make everything better in the end. It will begin as a support act for other visiting artists and progress to a performance in its own right.

Beth, Zosia and Kirstie are currently applying for funding and have promised they won’t use the money to buy any more shoes.

The third and final Lit Up Showcase & Conference event, with a focus on selling spoken word to venues and audiences is now on sale.

The day-long event will take place at the Bristol Old Vic on Tuesday 16 February 2010.

The final programme for the day is currently being drawn up but it will include:

• A special preview performance of Polarbear’s new show Return


• Spoken word collective Pen Ultimate, performing A Night on the Tiles, featuring artists Ben Mellor, Martin Stannage, Niven Ganner, Frisko Dan and Samira Arhin-Acquaah
  

Most importantly, the day will offer the opportunity to compare notes with artists, producers, programmers and marketing staff about their experiences of selling spoken word.

More details to follow...