Poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko are bringing an indoor Poetry Picnic to the Albany in South East London on Sunday 15 November at 3pm, with options to attend either in person or online. Created by Simon Mole, Gecko and Peader Kirk, the show is produced by Rua Arts and funded by Arts Council England.
We’ve already bought our tickets and we’d love for you to come and join us at The Albany or log in from home. From your picnic blanket, wherever it may be, Mole and Gecko will lead you in fun (and quite silly!) games to build confidence and skill with words, and then help you write a poem or a song with the power to send your picnic blanket skywards.
For the grand finale, with a little technical wizardry, the Albany audience will join the online audience of living room picnics to share a sandwich simile or two together. This celebration of music and poetry is the perfect Sunday afternoon boredom-buster for 8-12 year olds.
“After the disappointment of cancelling a national tour earlier this year, the free online poetry workshops I ran throughout lockdown ended up being one of the most rewarding projects of my life. Poetry Picnic is going to take some of that exciting online interaction and apply it to an in-person event – not only will the option of participating from home make the event more accessible, but it will also add an inspiring layer of creative connection for the audience in the theatre building on the day.”
Simon Mole
Following this première of Mole & Gecko’s Poetry Picnic on 15 November, the show’s producer Rua Arts hopes that it will tour in 2021, adapting to the current climate by continuing to offer a performance model combining live and online audiences – perhaps even leading to a world-wide poetry picnic!
Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Venue address: The Albany, Douglas Way, London SE8 4AG
Tickets: Big Bubble (2 adults and up to 3 children) £28; Little Bubble (1 adult and up to 2 children) £14; Online Ticket – Pay What You Decide (up to £10)
Box Office: book online here: https://www.thealbany.org.uk/shows/mole-and-geckos-poetry-picnic/ or by telephone: 020 8692 4446.
(Please note: this event is Bring Your Own Biscuits. Escape everything! Except the kids, because they’re coming too, to picnic with you.)
Looking for more poetry fun? You can also sign up for live monthly online poetry workshops with Simon Mole here: https://www.patreon.com/SimonMole.