POET FILM STAGE
Poet Film Stage was conceived by Rich Ferguson and Kathleen Florence as a way to expand the traditional poetry reading. In its first year at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, the format evolved to remove preamble from each poet’s performance, letting the work unfold without introduction. The films and vignettes function as poems themselves, existing alongside the spoken work rather than explaining it, while the Poet Film Stage Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians and artists, creates live sound and score between pieces.
By shifting the focus to tone and atmosphere, each poem exists within a shared artistic world. Rather than framing the work with backstory, the pieces are experienced as they are, shaped through collaboration and guided by a clear directorial vision that builds an overall structure, with arcs and tonal shifts more often found in film and stage.
By shifting the focus to tone and atmosphere, each poem exists within a shared artistic world. Rather than framing the work with backstory, the pieces are experienced as they are, shaped through collaboration and guided by a clear directorial vision that builds an overall structure, with arcs and tonal shifts more often found in film and stage.
|
At Beyond Baroque with Michelle Bitting, Harry E. Northup, Rich Ferguson, Kathleen Florence, L.A. Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson, Jeremy Ra, jimmy vega, Susan Hayden, S.A. Griffin, Eric Morago, Nicelle Davis, Amy Raasch, David Romero, Phil Abrams and Brendan Constantine. |
Poet Film Stage pushes the boundaries of what a poetry reading can be. An annual Los Angeles event that gathers poets and performers who've lived and worked at the intersection of words, cinema, and stage. Directed by Rich Ferguson and Kathleen Florence.
Featured poets are artists who've crossed mediums, bringing their film and theater sensibilities into how they approach language and performance. What emerges is something that sits between genres, where a poem might unfold like a scene, or a reading might feel more like a monologue that happens to be verse.
Los Angeles has always been a city where storytellers move fluidly between forms, and Poet Film Stage reflects that creative cross-pollination. For those interested in how poetry lives and breathes in different spaces, the event offers a glimpse into what happens when poets refuse to stay in their lane.
Find out more here.
Featured poets are artists who've crossed mediums, bringing their film and theater sensibilities into how they approach language and performance. What emerges is something that sits between genres, where a poem might unfold like a scene, or a reading might feel more like a monologue that happens to be verse.
Los Angeles has always been a city where storytellers move fluidly between forms, and Poet Film Stage reflects that creative cross-pollination. For those interested in how poetry lives and breathes in different spaces, the event offers a glimpse into what happens when poets refuse to stay in their lane.
Find out more here.