Lockdown has prevented many of us from going on holiday this summer, but it hasn’t stopped artist Rose Condo from travelling in her imagination. She has used her love of maps and travelling to create her spoken word show, ‘The Geography of Me’. So if you’ve missed going abroad this year, Rose’s show could be just the escape you need. Rose uses original poetry to share and explore her feelings on travel and self. We talked to Rose Condo about her performance of, ‘The Geography of Me’, for Yorkshire Festival of Story 2020.
Can you give us a brief description/ preview of ‘the Geography of Me’?
‘The Geography of Me’ is a solo spoken word show made up of poetry and stories exploring the journeys I’ve gone on in life. I share my love of maps and of the iconic ‘You Are Here’ red dot. I reflect on things like being a Canadian in the UK, what it’s like queuing for buses, what it’s like rebuilding a life after difficult experiences and how I sometimes consider myself as a map. I invite audience members to reflect on their own travels and share their thoughts on a postcard.
What, or who, has inspired you and this work?
This show was inspired by my love of traveling, as well as the fact that writing has become a key part of how I make sense of my experiences. I created the show in 2013, after Chol Theatre had invited me to be a guest for their new ‘Coffee House Night’ monthly event. To prepare for the event, I gathered together some of the writing I had done and tried to figure out if there was a theme that connected the poems and stories. I realised that traveling was the common link, and so the opening poem ‘You Are Here’ is a celebration of how we locate ourselves. This poem is available online.
What is your favourite part of what you do?
My favourite part of writing poetry is sitting with an idea – pen in hand – and figuring out how to weave the right words and rhymes together to express myself. It can sometimes be a lengthy process involving a lot of staring off into space, and it can sometimes (though not often!) feel like I can’t get the words written down fast enough.
My favourite part of performing is sharing words in real time with a live audience. I love engaging with their energy and responses, and finding moments of resonance and connection.
How have you found working during lockdown?
I love to travel (have I mentioned that!?) and I often journey to different parts of the UK for performances and workshop delivery. Lockdown meant many of my gigs were postponed or cancelled – which was understandable but also disappointing. I’ve been fortunate to perform in digital gigs and deliver online workshops. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to connect in this way, but I really miss live face-to-face interactions.
It has been difficult to write during lockdown. I feel so overwhelmed by the impact of the pandemic and news about the unjust treatment of protestors and I struggle to find ways to express this through poetry. My debut collection of poetry is being published by Flapjack Press later this year, so editing the manuscript has been a very welcome creative project in the midst of everything.
Is there a message you’re looking to convey to your audience? What would you like them to get from your performance?
I hope that audience members feel inspired to think about their own travels – about places they’ve been to and have loved, or places they hope to visit one day.
How have you adapted to an online audience for Yorkshire Festival of Story?
It was an interesting challenge to record the show from my flat in Salford. Suddenly I was thinking about camera framing and lighting. My laptop was set on top of a pile of board games to be the right height for recording. In live performances I have a big red suitcase next to me which holds all of my props … but it didn’t work on camera so I left it out. There is an interactive bit involving postcards that had to be changed – thanks to wonderful digital support from the festival team. Having an online recording meant that I could add subtitles, which I’m really happy about. I am in awe of how the YFOS-2020 team has adapted to be online, and I’m hoping that lots of folks from all corners of the globe are able to connect with the programme!
If you want to escape to another place, you can watch ‘The Geography of Me’ on Friday 14th August, at 7.30, via the Yorkshire Festival of Story Website.
Written by Annabel Davies, Young Reporter
