Poetry Night 2024

11 November 2024

On Monday 28October, LAMDA Poetry Night celebrated the courage and creativity of LAMDA’s students.

This year’s celebration featured more performers than ever, a packed house and two fabulous special guests: LAMDA Alumna and stage and screen legend, Dame Harriet Walter and writer, performer and storyteller Maz Hedgehog.

The event opened with a fire alarm-themed haiku from LAMDA’s Principal and MC for the evening, Professor Mark O’Thomas. Students skilfully and emotionally performed nine published poetic works and eight original pieces, reflecting on themes such as racism, identity, generational trauma, memory, grief and that universal thread that weaves throughout one way or another: love.

So assured were their performances that both special guests admitted to feeling somewhat coy when persuaded to take the stage. Dame Harriet chose Gertrude’s speech from her recently released publication She Speaks!: What Shakespeare’s Women Might Have Said, in which she gave voice to Hamlet’s mother describing the grim reality of Ophelia’s death.

Maz Hedgehog, whose work frequently takes inspiration from mythology, shared Tiresias, a meditation on the titular character’s experience as a transgender, blind prophet of Ancient Greece. Their choices reflected a shared interest in unheard voices and untold stories, a focus for which the immediacy and economy of verse is an effective vehicle.

Thanks go to all performers for an inspiring evening, to all those who submitted work for the event and to another supportive, energised audience. The benefits of giving poetry the spotlight within the atmosphere of LAMDA’s collaborative ethos are far-reaching.

Special congratulations to the prize winners in each category; to Nigel Sudarkasa for a truly affecting rendition of Cuz He’s Black by Javon Johnson, which was awarded first prize in the published category, and to Vee Tames’ radiant performance of One Art by Elizabeth Bishop, which secured the runner up spot.

In the original category, a beautifully written and confidently performed introduction to the poet’s Dad won Pearl Adams first place for My Father’s Skin. In second was Luke Stiles, for the musicality and relatability of his piece, Always Almost. The standard of student work continues to go from strength to strength and as such, additional commendations were awarded this year in each category; to Kathleen Irvine for the technically challenging Cascando by Samuel Beckett, and to Ava Gypsy for What I want on my toast, which gently balanced grief with levity.

This year’s event was kindly sponsored by the Sidney E Frank Foundation. The Foundation seeks to improve the lives of students, families, and the community through access to art, theatre, poetry, music, education, environmental conservation, and medical research and care. Their generous support has allowed us to raise poetry’s profile at LAMDA and continue to enrich our students’ experience and access to diverse artforms.

With extra special thanks to all those involved in another brilliant event. We look forward to more brilliance next year.