Poetry in the Raw IV

An unexpected and unbelievable experience. I laughed many times and was on the verge of tears at least twice. I went to Poetry in the Raw on a lark expecting to be intrigued by the performance but bored by the poetry. I was anything but bored the entire evening.

Poetry is read. The readers are nude. It sounds simple but by stripping away their clothes, these artists have added layers not removed them.

The power of the performers came from the intensity that nudity brought to their pieces. The entire body was the medium of the their messages. Every forceful word or playful smirk rippled through their entire bodies and right into the audience.

I was very curious how the audience would perceive the nudity but right from the start the host, Missie Peters, declared that all catcalls and any other sexualizations of the performer's (and indeed the other audience members' later on!) was completely unacceptable. With very few exceptions, the crowd in excess of 100 was very respectful. Part of this I believe was that the performers walked onto stage already in the nude, and there was no stripping of clothes, with the notable exception of Missie Peters herself.

Now before you ask why the host, who asked for respect for the nudity, would go on and strip for the audience! Well... she didn't strip in the traditional sense at all. As is apparently a tradition of this event, the audience is invited to take off their clothes and be as nude as the performers. Peters made a game out of this invitation by asking the audience member to remove one item of clothing following every performance. Peters led by example leading to her slow intermittent "strip" which was nothing more than casual removing of clothing, piece by piece, between performances. Most members of the audience didn't go past removing their socks. About 15-20 persons were partially or fully nude by the end - including myself of course!

After the penultimate performance, Peters removed the last of her clothes, invited the audience to do the same, and then read poetry herself in a dramatic finale.

I won't review any of the actual performances because I do not dare! But I will note that three pieces were particularly moving for me. One was about being comfortable in your own body, even if you are comfortable with your body. Another was about confidence, and a third was about body image of a young dancer. There was about 10-12 performances in total.

Poetry in the Raw is a fundraising event for the Victoria Slam Team.