Shy bairns get nowt
You have nothing to lose
For the past two months, I have been working hard on a theatre show. I haven’t talked about it openly on here, but now that it’s over, and before we wrap up human seasons and move into something different, I would love to talk about it.
In New Zealand, I run a poetry community called Yellow Lamp, and even though we’ve been selling out small venues for 18 months, a jump to a theatre felt crazy. I decided to leap over my doubts, and the results have been astounding. We now officially have a sold-out season under our belts. Off the back end, a lot of people have been asking how I feel. People have been questioning what’s next, and the answer is likely not what you are expecting. We ran all of our shows from a small place called Movespace, which is a vital part of my growth. It was the first place in New Zealand that homed me. I felt like an outsider for a long while, and Movespace took me in and made me believe in my creativity in a way I never had before. After being a part of that community for a little while, I asked Kiran (the owner) if we should start a poetry show, and he immediately said yes. It was designed as a one-off show, but somehow here we are two years later still doing monthly shows and growing endlessly.
Due to this growth, however, we can no longer fit into Movespace, but this was not a good enough reason for me to leave it as our regular space. I got married in that very venue. That is how much it means to me. The shift for me came after a show, when someone immediately told me they didn’t like poetry, but it was their fourth time at the show. I talked to them about this, and they explained that it didn’t matter what was on the stage, that Yellow Lamp exists in an atmosphere they’ve always dreamed of being in.
Community is in such demand. The need for a place to call home and feel held is at an all-time high. The shift for Yellow Lamp going forward is to focus on hanging out and being a community that interacts with each other. The vitality of art is as strong as ever, and we cannot abandon what we have built, but we can extend it to create environments that encourage everybody to be closer.
The Basement Theatre shows happened because I asked. Yellow Lamp exists because I asked. We get so many opportunities from the simple action of asking and being brave enough to put ourselves out there. I have made so many meaningful connections simply by enquiring about the well-being of people from a genuine place. There is a saying I heard a lot growing up in the UK, and being mixed in with so many cultures. Shy bairns get nowt. It essentially means that if you don’t ask then you don’t receive. If you require something in your life, then all you have to do is find the right person to ask.
I know a lot of you are from across the ocean and cannot attend these events, but if you have the means, then I urge you to get communal. If you cannot find a place that supports you, then create it. I can promise you that you are not alone in your desires. You are not the only one in need of a specific thing. As Yellow Lamp moves forward, we are hosting board game nights, make your own dumpling nights, poetry dnd, movie nights and a bunch of other evenings dedicated to being hands-on and close. We are adding an open mic to every event and finding ways to incorporate art into places where art usually doesn’t exist. We are holding workshops and daring people to be creative.
If I want you to take one thing from this, it is that there is space for you in this world. There are people who hum the same melodies, who feel equally hopeless finding their people, but they are out there. I know it can be scary to go to new places and meet new people. I know failure is a real feeling, and creating a space and it not working out is disheartening, but we need to get back out into the world. We need people who dare to try to build spaces with community as the foundation. This is not my first effort, and I am grateful I have finally made something that people are responding to, but it took a great deal of work. If you see a community event that interests you, then please attend it. Being around people with the same passions is a therapy. Daring to explore another person’s passions is a therapy. Online spaces can be great, and I am proud of what Woofenberry is here, but we need that connection with the real world, too.
I am planning on some more Zoom workshops soon, so we can at least have a real-time connection. If you feel lost or have a desire for something, then remember, all you have to do is ask. Shy bairns get nowt.
Until next time, Woofenberry’s
Keep kind and stay true x
