• Skip to content
 
  • Log in
  • Contact us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Spoken Word Archive
35 years
of performance poetry
  • Home
  • About
  • Artists & Shows
  • Our collection
  • Features
  • Get involved
  • Resources
You are here:
Home>Artists>Lemn Sissay
Search by date
Search by artist
  • Lemn Sissay (96)
  • Jean 'Binta' Breeze (89)
  • Zena Edwards (88)
  • Patience Agbabi (83)
  • Francesca Beard (79)
  • Malika Booker (71)
  • Aoife Mannix (67)
  • John Hegley (61)
  • El Crisis (61)
  • Joolz Denby (56)

All artists

Search by venue
  • Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Covent Garden Community Centre (182)
  • Rich Mix (117)
  • Albany (London - Lewisham) (80)
  • Soho Theatre (64)
  • Nuffield (Southampton) (57)
  • Horseshoe (London - Islington) (52)
  • Roebuck (London - Camden) (51)
  • Victoria (Birmingham) (51)
  • Barbican (Plymouth) (48)

All venues

Lemn Sissay

Contains 10 collection items, 86 performances, 96 in total. Currently showing 96 in total.

Splendid chap who has travelled an incredible journey in his life and work.  This is a journey with which Britain still struggles so his poetry, comedy, theatre, music and writing,  is an inspiration to many people. His groundbreaking solo show Something Dark (2004) is an account of his time in the care system, and has recently been followed by The Report.   His performance style could be described as  'out of Manchester'.  It's funny and riveting and tries to cut through the stereotypical regional stylistic tropes that so bedevil Britain.

  • Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    18 February 1994 at 
    Cambridge Drama Centre (Cambridge) (3)
    Nine-date tour – a partnership with Eastern Touring Agency.
  • Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    19 February 1994 at 
    Old Town Hall (Hemel Hempstead) (1)
    Nine-date tour – a partnership with Eastern Touring Agency.
  • Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    Cabaret at 200 Words a Minute

    26 February 1994 at 
    Tom Allen Arts Centre (1)
    Final night of a nine-date tour – a partnership with Eastern Touring Agency. This was the only date outside the eastern counties.
  • The Final: New Performance Poet of the Year Award 1994

    The Final: New Performance Poet of the Year Award 1994

    5 October 1994 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
    This was the first performance poetry competition held by Apples and Snakes. Joolz, Lemn Sissay and Patience Agbabi also did guest performances. According to the flyer, there were eight knock-out heats before the last eight performed in the Final. The heats were held on 24 and 31st August and September 7th. The Winner was ...
  • Book Now! Festival

    Book Now! Festival

    26 November 1994 at 
    Orange Tree Theatre (London - Richmond) (1)
    Programmed by Apples & Snakes, although not credited as such in publicity. Some of the poets felt that one of their colleagues was giving such lengthy introductions to his work that they were in danger of missing last orders. Never a good thing for poets.
  • Pantorhymes

    Pantorhymes

    16 December 1994 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Greenwich Festival - Poetry Jam

    Greenwich Festival - Poetry Jam

    7 June 1995 at 
    University of Greenwich (1)
    Bernardine not billed, but added on the night.
  • Winter Fire

    Winter Fire

    1 December 1995 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Motor Mouths

    Motor Mouths

    20 January 1996 at 
    CCA (Glasgow) (11)
    Presented by the CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts) and Cutting Teeth magazine, with the programming assistance of Apples & Snakes.
  • Mo' Words & Jazz National Tour - (Perf 3)

    Mo' Words & Jazz National Tour - (Perf 3)

    13 May 1996 at 
    Pegasus Theatre (Oxford) (7)
  • Mo' Words & Jazz National Tour - (Perf 4)

    Mo' Words & Jazz National Tour - (Perf 4)

    24 May 1996 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Poetically Wired - BluFunk Fired

    Poetically Wired - BluFunk Fired

    27 June 1997 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • The Fire People

    The Fire People

    30 September 1998 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
    In association with Payback Press. This was a launch event for The Fire People, a landmark collection of contemporary  Black-British poetry. A combination of established and up-and-coming names, the collection captured the zeitgeist of the UK scene at the tail-end of the century.
  • Story of My Life

    Story of My Life

    1 December 2000 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Apples & Snakes

    Apples & Snakes

    23 November 2001 at 
    Cambridge Drama Centre (Cambridge) (3)
  • Original Skin

    Original Skin

    15 February 2002 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Video recording of Original Skin ('02)

    Video recording of Original Skin ('02)

    15 February 2002
    Mini-DV tape of Original Skin show (’02) at BAC.
  • Wandsworth Arts Office: Lemn Sissay

    Wandsworth Arts Office: Lemn Sissay

    5 March 2002 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
    An afternoon performance to tie in with Lemn’s residency at the previous year’s Wandsworth Arts Festival. In partnership with Wandsworth Arts Office, and connected to an exhibition of poetry by the people that Lemn worked with.
  • Brothatalk

    Brothatalk

    25 October 2002 at 
    Battersea Arts Centre (London - Wandsworth) (498)
  • Audio recording of Brothatalk 2002 pt I

    Audio recording of Brothatalk 2002 pt I

    25/10/2002
    Minidisc recording of first half of ‘Brothatalk’ show at BAC, 25 Oct 2002, featuring Lemn Sissay, Orphy Robinson, Ainsley Burrows, Breis & Beyonder
  • Audio recording of Brothatalk 2002 pt II

    Audio recording of Brothatalk 2002 pt II

    25/10/2002
    Minidisc recording of second half of ‘Brothatalk’ show at BAC, 25 Oct 2002, featuring Lemn Sissay, Orphy Robinson, Ainsley Burrows, Breis & Beyonder
  • CDs of Something Dark photos

    CDs of Something Dark photos

    2003
    Packet of three CDs from early Something Dark performances.
  • Something Dark publicity photos

    Something Dark publicity photos

    2003
    Collection of five A3 publicity shots for Something Dark, featuring Lemn Sissay on stage.
  • In the Mix

    In the Mix

    3 May 2003 at 
    Royal Exchange (Manchester) (2)
PAGE:Previous1234Next
Latest comments
  • Bella on Contact usThe Spoken Word Archive is an amazing wealth of knowledge and history! It's so great to be able to track the progress of one's poetic heroes from grassroots to where they are now :) Thank you!
  • Fiona Marie on Lydia TomkiwThis is fascinating! It's sent me down an Algebra Suicide / Lydia Tomkiw researching wormhole.
Twitter
  • From our friends: Applications are open for @CRIPticArts x @stwevents poetry, fiction, & scriptwriting etreat for U… https://t.co/GAyUcJoXga14 hours ago
  • In just 30 years time coffee and cocoa could be extinct... Join Jan Blake, Anthony Joseph, The Repeat Beat Poet a… https://t.co/pDlVvQjS1Iyesterday
Arts Council(opens in new window) Apples and Snakes(opens in new window) Heritage Lottery Fund(opens in new window)

Content released under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. Website by CommunitySites