THE LAST WORD 2016
ROUNDHOUSE 24 MAY – 18 JUNE
Following the success of last year’s THE LAST WORD festival, the Roundhouse announces a thrilling programme for its third season, presenting the best of spoken word, storytelling and live performance, from Tuesday 24 May – Saturday 18 June.
Showcasing the finest home grown Roundhouse talent, alongside the genre’s rising stars and the original trailblazers, The Last Word’s highlights include:
· Words First Live, a partnership between BBC Radio 1Xtra and Roundhouse, featuring Kate Tempest and six of the hottest young spoken word artists from across the UK
· Debris Stevenson’s Dirtee Verse
· Mark Grist & Tim Clare’s Only You Can Save Poetry
· Burning Eye poets Hollie McNish, Liv Torc and Lydia Towsey present Mum’s The Word
Lucy Atkinson, festival producer says: “This will be the third instalment of The Last Word, the UK’s first festival dedicated to spoken word. Celebrating this exciting and vibrant scene, The Last Word will host the best in young spoken word talent at the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, now in its 8th year. An exciting partnership with BBC 1Xtra – Words First reaches its one year conclusion in the search for the writing and performing talent of the future. Alongside new shows from John Berkavitch, Mark Grist/Tim Clare and Baba Israel, an audio installation from Talia Randall and the biggest show ever from spoken word/music maestros Tongue Fu.”
WRONG by John Berkavitch
24 – 25 May, 8pm
£12.50 / Sackler Space
“I’ve never been as certain as when I was wrong.”
Following on from the critically acclaimed SHAME, Berkavitch and company return to The Last Word festival with a brand new work of spoken word-dance theatre.
Written and performed by poet John Berkavitch and combining poetry, dance and live illustration, Wrong is a story of fatherhood.
Berkavitch is joined on stage by a group of dancers and illustrators, who physically manipulate, interrogate, annotate and enable him to tell a story about having, becoming and being a dad.
Script development from Sabrina Mahfouz. Music by My Panda Shall Fly.
“Berkavitch is a compelling storyteller and there is a chocolatey richness in his language”
The Guardian on SHAME
Developed with support from Arts Council England, Roundhouse Camden, Curve Theatre and Breakin’ Convention.
A LANGUAGE WE BOTH KNOW HOW TO SOUND OUT by Raymond Antrobus
25 May, 7pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
A LANGUAGE WE BOTH KNOW HOW TO SOUND OUT is a series of poems written by London laureate Raymond Antrobus on how he, as a hard of hearing poet, navigates the hearing world.
This is a collaboration with actress and director, Charmaine Wombwell (Deafinitely Theatre).
Directed by Charmaine Wombwell.
DIRTEE VERSE by Debris Stevenson
27 May, 8pm
£10 / Sackler Space
Mashing up the hype of grime with the craft of spoken word, poet Debris Stevenson lyrically reinterprets Dizzee Rascal’s award-winning debut album Boy In Da Corner in her own way – Poet In The Corner.
Collaborating with producer Rapsz Katai (JME, Skepta), Stevenson will perform several tracks with Jammz, TrueMendous, Youth Oracle, Eklipse and more.
Dirtee Verse will also feature DJ sets, grime inspired poems, a Clash Money battle between Nottingham based Mouthy Poets and MCs and more. A vybzing skank and hype-ting event, tonight is for lyric conscious, spoken word, poetry and grime-lovers alike. See these art forms clash, collaborate and take over the stage…
BUILDING A VOICE-PERCUSSION GUN TO KILL GLITCHES IN MEMORY by Antosh Wojcik
28 May, 2pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
Antosh Wojcik presents a performance based on the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s on voice, memory and motor skills, reciting poems over live glitch-drumming to shift rhythms and fluency of his vocal delivery.
A narrative that explores speech dislocated by dementia, constructing a sound-weapon to kill his mother’s inherited Alzheimer’s and questions for a grandmother walking with Alzheimer’s in the afterlife.
Produced by Penned In The Margins.
Testament in association with LittleMighty present
THE PRIVILEGE SHOW
28 May, 7pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
In the first public performance of material that will form part of his new show, Guinness World Record holding beatboxer Testament fuses together spoken word, loop station theatrics, poetry and rap and to tell a powerful new story of contemporary Britain. Two people head out on a booze-fuelled bender, and are forced to face up to their own prejudices, as Testament tackles issues of race, gender and understanding people who don’t share our point of view.
RAISING LAZARUS written and performed by Kat Francois
28 May, 3pm
£10 / Sackler Space
The critically-acclaimed Raising Lazarus charts the true story of Kat Francois’ relative, Private Lazarus Francois, from the Caribbean island of Grenada, who joined the British West Indies Regiment in 1915 to fight for Britain during the First World War.
Francois weaves a story of how she discovered she was connected to a part of British history that she previously assumed had no relevance to her, whilst exposing a small part of the journey undertaken by thousands of Caribbean soldiers who volunteered for King and Country.
FINDING HOME by Cecilia Knapp
28 – 29 May, 8pm
£12.50/ Sackler Space
Along the cycle paths, alleyways and canals of London comes a coming-of-age story that maps the journey of a girl from a seaside town to the tenements of East London as a 20-something.
Writer and performer Cecilia Knapp’s debut piece is a journey through grief, loss and growing up.
Cecilia takes us from her childhood in Brighton to her life in London. She shines a light on how we deal with loss, how we talk about mental health, and explores what it is like to grow up amongst these things. We meet the characters that have influenced her, listen to her old cassettes, hear her story and discover how she found home amongst chaos.
Directed by Stef O’Driscoll (Kate Tempest’s Hopelessly Devoted, A Tale from the Bedsit) FINDING HOME is brought to the stage through an evocative collaboration of words, projections, vocals and instrumentals, both classical and contemporary.
ALL THE THINGS I LIED ABOUT by Katie Bonna
29 May, 2pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
Would the world be a better place if we were all honest?
Award-winning writer and performer Katie Bonna is doing a TED talk on our passion for dishonesty and the science of lies. Sort of. TED haven’t actually asked her to do one – yet.
From tricking her sister into drinking her wee to monstrous infidelities, Katie charts her family history to confront our fibs.
Part TED talk, part poetry, part comedy – mostly lies.
“Katie Bonna puts in a simply dazzling performance” The Stage
COAT by Yomi Sode
29 May, 7pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
In COAT, Yomi Sode tackles migration and identity using the audience as his counsellor.
An attack at his workplace uncovers various flash points in Yomi’s upbringing that are confusing, at times humorous, and uncomfortable.
Movement by John Berkavitch
Developed as part of RE:Play alongside Lemn Sissay and Polarbear
Spare The Poets presents
MILK TEETH
Double bill with The Roundhouse Poetry Collective
29 May, 3.30pm
£7.50 / Sackler Space
We’ve left the womb, learned words, dipped our fingers in paint, changed shape, passed tests, packed boxes, paid tax… Where are we now?
In their debut show ‘Milk Teeth’, Spare The Poets dig memories from playground sandpits, prise them from sticky night-club floors, and put them under a microscope, asking: When did we stop playing? Will these acne scars ever fade? And whatever happened to our milk teeth?
Spare the Poets hatched during the Roundhouse Poetry Collective 2014/15, by mother hens Bohdan Piasecki and Debris Stevenson. Now, having flown the nest, this exciting fifteen strong collective is making waves in the London poetry scene.
This performance will be a double-bill with a new commission by The Roundhouse Poetry Collective – further details to be announced.
ONLY YOU CAN SAVE POETRY by Mark Grist & Tim Clare
31 May – 2 June, 8pm
£12.50 / Sackler Space
Modern poetry is amazing, right? Angry strangers shouting your own opinions back at you for money! Literature graduates competing to find the most complicated way of saying ‘I feel sad’! Mark Grist and Tim Clare have been part of this strangely unappreciated scene for years, and believe it’s now time for something different.
Using ground-breaking techniques of data collection and live feedback from the audience they will perform a series of experiments to determine: what is the most erotic line of verse possible? What would the perfect poem contain? And, most importantly: who is best – Mark or Tim?
Mark Grist went from being an English teacher to defeating a grime artist in a ‘student versus teacher’ rap battle that has attracted over five million hits on YouTube. Since then he has appeared on television, toured the country and been hailed as a “poetry standout” (Financial Times), “YouTube sensation” (The Sun) to an “unlikely heart-throb” (Guardian). Tim Clare is a uniquely original poet; author and musician described as “shrewd and funny” (The Scotsman). He is the creator of the world’s first Poetry Take-Away and the ambitious 101 Poems In A Day where he wrote and published online a 101 original new poems!
POETRY SLAM FINAL
2 June, 7pm
£10-£15 / Main Space
The Roundhouse Poetry Slam Final takes place on the Main Space stage after a complete sell-out last year. The evening features the next generation of spoken word artists and poets aged 16-25 competing for the much-coveted Slam title. Host and judges to be confirmed.
90 SICK EP by Paul Cree
2 June, 7pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
“If you work really, REALLY hard, with a lot of luck, you could get a C… but you probably won’t.”
Writer and performer Paul Cree weaves his way through the tales of two mates, from primary school to adulthood and low skilled employment. Expect tales of football, cars, cress plants, train tracks, Drum ‘N Bass, hash, booze and GNVQ’s.
“His storytelling was thoroughly engaging, layered with experience and iced with wit. I was hungry for more.” Broadway Baby
Burning Eye presents
MUM’S THE WORD
3 June, 2pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
What does it mean to be a mother and poet in the 21st Century?
For this special afternoon performance, Burning Eye poets Lydia Towsey, Liv Torc and Hollie McNish will entertain parents in need of culture, amusement and adult conversation.
Burning Eye Books is a small independent published in the South West predominantly specialising in promoting spoken word artists. They aim to dispel the assumption that performance poetry does not transfer well to page as well as give emerging and established artists publishing opportunities where they might otherwise be rejected from other traditional poetry publishers.
Parents and babies welcome.
TONGUE FU
3 June, 7pm
£10-£15 / Main Space
The UK’s sharpest poets, storytellers, rappers and comedians perform with jaw-dropping improvised soundtracks from the genre hopping Tongue Fu Band and animations from design studio CR&D.
Created and hosted by poet Chris Redmond, Tongue Fu is one of the UK’s liveliest and largest spoken word shows: a riotous experiment in live literature, music and improvisation.
Line-up so far includes Hollie McNish, Buddy Wakefield and Vanessa Kisuule with special guests to be announced
“It’s poetry, but not as you know it…amazing” The Guardian
“Top performance poetry night” The Independent
THE SPINNING WHEEL KEEPS TURNING
Presented by Unfinished Business in association with Baba Israel
3 – 5 June, 8pm
£12.50 / Sackler Space
Steve Ben Israel was a New York jazz musician, poet, stand-up comic, political activist and core member of the iconic ensemble The Living Theatre. He passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of 1960’s countercultural and a son – Baba Israel.
THE SPINNING WHEEL KEEPS TURNING is an international collaboration between New York hip hop theatre artist Baba Israel, Artistic Director of Unfinished Business Leo Kay and musician Yako 440, with video by Richard Ramchurn and Dramaturgy by Talvin Wilks.
Celebrating artistic expression, political activism and intergenerational collaboration it remixes past and present in a fusion of storytelling, projection mapping, hip hop, jazz and spoken word.
Created by Baba Israel, Leo Kay & Yako 440.
THE SLEEP SHOW by Rob Auton
4 June, 2pm
£10 / Sackler Space
Comedy-meets-theatre-meets-talking about water in this new show from award-winning writer and performer Rob Auton. Having explored the colour yellow in 2012’s THE YELLOW SHOW, the sky in 2013’s THE SKY SHOW, faces in 2014’s THE FACE SHOW, water in 2015’s THE WATER SHOW, Rob now turns his attention to sleep with 2016’s THE SLEEP SHOW, a show suitable for anybody who has slept or seen someone sleeping.
“Charming, eccentric and uplifting, Auton is a talent to watch” The Independent
“A genuine original. Poetical, philosophical, humane, completely charming and funny to boot”
The Guardian
“Funny, baffling, and deeply moving” The Telegraph
THE SUNSHINE KID by Harry Baker
4 June, 3.30pm
£10 / Sackler Space
Voted ‘Best Spoken Word Show’ of the Edinburgh Fringe 2015, THE SUNSHINE KID follows Harry Baker’s journey from writing Jay Z / maths parodies in school music competitions to being crowned the youngest ever World Poetry Slam Champion and beyond.
Taking poems from his debut anthology that has sold thousands of copies in over 30 countries worldwide; Harry’s 3rd solo show contains the raw honesty, tongue-in-cheek humour and blistering wordplay that has won the hearts and minds of audiences across the globe.
‘Simply put… the greatest performer on Earth’ ★★★★★ Scott Mills Show, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1Xtra & Roundhouse present
WORDS FIRST LIVE
4 June, 7pm
Free / Main Space
Hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter DJ Target, Words First Live is an opportunity to come face to face with the future of spoken word.
Over the last 6 months, BBC 1Xtra and the Roundhouse have scoured the country for the freshest aspiring spoken word artists, rappers, MCs and poets. Following a series of workshops across Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London, six artists aged 16-25 were chosen to receive mentoring by some of the leading talent on the spoken word scene.
Join us for an electrifying evening showcasing this new generation of voices in action as they premiere work exploring our different individual, family and global identities.
The final six – Isaiah Hull, Asma Elbadawi, Solomon O.B, Amina Jama, Liam McCormick and Reuben Field – will perform alongside some of the UK’s leading spoken word artists including Kate Tempest and more acts to be announced.
THE HARRY AND CHRIS SHOW! by Harry Baker and Chris Read
4 June, 1pm
£7.50/ Dorfman Hub
See what happens when Harry’s Baker’s award-winning words combine with Chris Read’s jazz/pop/funk musical stylings.
Harry and Chris have performed together since their schooldays and delivering newspapers from the same newsagent at the tender age of 15.
Since then their solo careers have blossomed, and from their debut EP ‘Whaddyawannado’ their first joint show is born. Flight of The Conchords meets Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip.
SPOKEN WORD AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM
4 June, 6pm
£7.50 / Dorfman Hub
Spoken word is being used across the world to galvanise communities and stimulate social activism. This event will feature a range of exceptional performance poets who are working in a range of settings from the criminal justice system and prisons, to gender issues, race issues and experiences of migration, as well as some of the participants they have been working with.
Mixing performance, film, personal stories and provocation, the evening will delve into the power of spoken word in complex social settings. Featuring poems and stories from Toni Stuart, Zena Edwards, Simon Mole, Femi Martin and Indigo Williams.
In partnership with Free Word.
Nimble Fish presents
LOST IN BLUE written & performed by Debs Newbold
5 June, 5pm
£10 / Sackler Space
Debs Newbold, highly celebrated performer and Shakespeare’s Globe storyteller, delivers a touching, funny, cinematic and surreal one-woman show enhanced by live music technology.
Through the prism of Vincent van Gogh’s recognisable late work, Bedroom in Arles, she explores the phenomenon of living life in a coma and the healing power of art.
When she was three years old, Annie’s life was skewed off-course. On her 18th birthday, it threatens to happen again. What is it like to be in a coma? To love someone in a coma? What would van Gogh say about it if you hung out with him in his room at Arles? And what does a pigeon called Muhammad Ali eat for breakfast?
Directed by John Wright.
Paines Plough and Latitude Festival present
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK by Sabrina Mahfouz
14 – 18 June, 8pm
£12.50 / Sackler Space
‘I want to be iconic. I want to be beautiful, reckless, feared, hated, ahead of the times. I want to be different, I want to be dangerous…’
London, 2001. Raves. Revision. Re-election.
Nadia is swept up in one hot summer’s night of love that promises endless possibilities. Drinking, dancing, hope, ambition, lust, greed… and decisions that will determine the rest of her life.
Rhythmically underscored by a live mix of old school UK Garage, award-winning writer Sabrina Mahfouz explores the legacy of a cultural movement that defined the hopes of a generation.
London, 2015. Re-wind.
“Fist-pumping euphoria…one of the highlights of Latitude’s sun-stroked 10th anniversary festival… crackle[s] with a rare and unexpected life” The Stage
“Gorgeous genre-melding music and theatre” Exeunt
Directed by Stef O’Driscoll
INSTALLATIONS
THE WHISPER
2 – 4 June
Free entry / Roundhouse Foyer
Step into a labyrinth of whispers.
Listen to a million voices flutter all around you.
Experience a hundred tiny speakers transmitting streams of words that transform as you move around them.
Whether these voices are warped and discordant or harmonious and unified these are words you need to hear. A unique fusion of sound, vision and poetry, The Whisper is a collaboration between Vahakn Matossian and Talia Randall.
“Inspiring. Beautiful. Genuine.” Electronic Sound Magazine on Vahakn Matossian
“Talia Randall was the highlight of the evening” Sabotage Reviews
COMING OUT
2 – 4 June
Free entry / Various locations within the Roundhouse
What is the future of love? Encounter a series of objects that will trigger audio through your own mobile and help you imagine what romance will look like in twenty years’ time. An opportunity for Last Word audiences to sample an upcoming interactive installation that will have its world premiere at FutureFest 2016.
This project is a co-production by Nesta and Roundhouse Radio.
Dates: 24 May – 18 June 2016
Venue: Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8EH
Tickets: 0300 6789 222 / www.roundhouse.org.uk