TOWN comes to the Library!

New to this? Check out the First Post



Joy performing TOWN

On Monday night we had a first at the library - a performance of TOWN, a verse drama by Joy Winkler, former Poet laureate of Cheshire. She is touring the show throughout Cheshire and as a special favour to us, ventured into Staffordshire! We are really glad she did!

 



My dad keeping Nathan company on the door

As soon as the library closed at 4.30pm Caroline, the amazing leader of the Poets arrived to help me get the place ready. She made the whole night possible by asking Joy to come and perform here and help get more people into my library. We set out the cakes, cups and chairs - ready for a sold-out audience to arrive and enjoy the evening.

Cakes!

 

Enjoying the Interval

Then Joy and her husband John arrived with all their equipment and paraphernalia - including two very nice old chairs. It took a while to set that up - then the poet Andrew Rudd arrived with his musical instruments - as he was to accompany Joy during TOWN with his music. Not only that - but he was also going to read some of his poetry before the interval. So this involved moving more furniture around and plugging things in until everything was ready for the performance to begin.



Nathan arrived and had agreed to be on the door taking tickets and money. I was hoping that everyone who had ordered tickets would turn up and pay - and mostly they did! We could only fit 40 people in - and we had 38. There were some of the poets from Caroline's poetry group - The Keele Poets - and some library staff from around the district, including my boss Terry. My parents and brother Dom and wife Sharon came as well as friends, Jo and Mawb. Also lots of customers of the library.

 



Andrew reading his poetry.

First up was Andrew, who read us some of his poetry. He is both moving and funny. Everyone loved his "found poem" which consisted of notices that he had read on the bus in Liverpool. I liked all of them especially the one about observing children during a boring maths lesson. He was great!!

 

 After the poems, we had the interval with tea, coffee, cakes and juice. Joy is so talented - she even made us some cakes too. The flapjack and lemon drizzle squares went down very well :-)
During the interval people had chance to buy books by Andrew and Joy - and get them signed.
Once Caroline rang her bell everyone went and sat back down and Caroline introduced Joy and her verse drama TOWN.
It is the story of Rosie who is 16 and looking for her birth mother. She turns up in the TOWN (who is also a character in the play) and with the help of Barnaby, who organises a parade there and a Boy, who is also looking for somewhere to belong, she finds some kind of closure. It I funny and emotional and you could have heard a pin drop in there as everyone was transfixed during the whole 45 minutes. Joy recites the whole thing from memory and does all the different characters in different voices.

Welcoming everyone to the library

It was wonderful - and she received rapturous applause at the end. As I went up to thank her and Andrew and give them little gifts for bringing their poetry and music to Silverdale, Joy surprised me by giving me a beautiful lily plant and a medal - for selling the tickets for the show so quickly. Seems I was the best ticket seller of 2014! I am very proud of my medal - I will treasure it forever!






Caroline introduces TOWN

It was so nice to see so many people from Silverdale and beyond coming together for such a great night of entertainment.

We packed up as much stuff as we could and Terry offered to come by the next morning to wash up - so that we could go home early-ish! Joy and John and Andrew went off back to Cheshire. They had distributed feedback forms and I think most people had filled them in. I'm sure that they got lots of really good comments.



Actually N and I went up to The Bush pub afterwards with Mawb and Jo - as we felt we deserved a drink! Terry was true to his word and arrived at 9am the next morning and did ALL the washing up and drying - while I opened the library and served customers. Thanks Terry!! Some customers came in and told me how much they had enjoyed it - which was great!