24th March 2020 – The Inaugural Online Jam.
With the Coronavirus halting our live stage shows we decided to attempt an online jam instead and what an incredible evening of connection it turned out to be!
The theme was isolation and after an opening pastiche of Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” performed by our host Liz Smith and her Dyson in her living room we were treated to 12 performances from people with real talent. Here’s how you can find out more about them and their work:
Jon Tilley performed his poem “Safe House”. Find him on Instagram and Facebook.
Singer songwriter Kyan performed “Lonely River”. You can hear a version of Lonely River that he performed and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in 2018, and follow him on Spotify.
Lorna Collins, performed her poem “Isolated but surrounded by things I might rather avoid” about being isolated in the context of the coronavirus and where she lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere. You can follow her on Twitter
Lisa Gornick treated us to an improv with her 87 year old father Bruce who she is self-isolating with. Follow her on Twitter.
Chantelle de Carvalho took us back to 1624 and performed a rendition of John Donne’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” in her curlers and dressing gown.
Poet and rapper, Duke Al Durham performed a poem he wrote a week prior called “Isolation”. Be sure to follow him on Instagram where he’s posting his work.
Jonny Benjamin performed his poem “In spite of these dark times”. Jonny has published a book The Stranger on the Bridge about his journey from his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder to where he is today. You can follow Jonny on Twitter
Musician Shama Rahman performed “Ships In The Night” on her sitar from her album Truth Be Told. You can follow her on Instagram.
Musician and mental health coach Dave Cottrell performed his poem “You Are Not Weak”. Dave is a prolific podcaster and has a podcast channel Master The Mind, Master Everything.
World record breaking beat boxer SK Shlomo got us all dancing in our living rooms with a super speedy interactive DJ set. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
Amy Lewis performed a poem she wrote “The Forgotton Still Rise”. You can follow her on Twitter.
Kayan brought the show to a close with a wonderful rendition of his “Sometimes I Forget About Dying”.
The show was produced by Jon Salmon, Maria Mendes and Liz Smith.
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