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Big Buddy Program presents ALL CITY: The WordPlay Teen Poetry Slam Festival
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What Is the Slam Festival?Baton Rouge’s first all-city teen poetry slam festival will engage schools and community organizations from all over the Baton Rouge area in workshops, showcases, and a teen poetry slam. The poetry slam is an Olympic-style poetry contest, created in Chicago in 1985 and now an international phenomenon. Using friendly competition to gather young writers and performers, WordPlay Slam Festival will create a safe space that emphasizes community building, education, and youth empowerment.
ParticipantsAny community organization or school with 4-6 poets ages 13-19 who wants to present their poetry. Teams must have an adult coach or sponsor.
Event SpecificsCrossing the Street Thursday, April 26, 6-8 PM at Louisiana State Museum Crossing the Street is the opening evening for the participating teen poets. It serves to connect the young writers with one another through community building activities. There will be a showcase of featured youth and adult writers and a panel discussion about the direction of the spoken word movement.
Slam Bouts Slam bouts 1 & 2 (Friday, April 27- 9:30- 11:30 AM) at the Manship Theater Slam bouts 3 & 4 (Saturday, April 28- 11:00- 1:00 PM) at the Manship Theater Slam bouts 5 & 6 (Saturday, April 28- 2:00- 4:00 PM) at the Manship Theater Slam preliminary bouts will feature 12 teams representing Baton Rouge schools and organizations battling it out for a chance to read on the finals stage Saturday night. Each team participates in two bouts.
Writing and Performance Workshops Friday, April 27, Noon- 1:30 PM at the Manship Theater Teen poets participating in the slam take part in break out workshops that hone specific writing and performance skills. These workshops are led by accomplished performance poets from throughout the region.
WordPlay Grand Slam Finals Saturday, April 28, 6:00- 9:00 PM at the Manship Theater Saturday evening will feature one of Baton Rouge's most exciting nights of the year- the WordPlay Grand Slam Finals. The highest ranking four teams will compete for the title of Baton Rouge 2007 slam champs. The six highest ranking individual poets will be selected to represent Baton Rouge in San Jose, Ca. at Brave New Voices, the national teen poetry slam festival. Featured adult poets will rock the stage alongside teen writers. This is an event you don’t want to miss.
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Slam Rules & Guidelines How the WordPlay Slam Works: · Each team has four members, aged 13-19. Two alternates may be considered part of the team, but only four people may perform during the course of an individual bout or finals. The alternates cannot replace the four main team members in the middle of any bout. (A bout is one match between teams; think boxing. There are rounds in a slam bout, just like a bout or fight between two fighters.) · Each team competes in two preliminary bouts. · Preliminary bouts will have four rounds- consisting of three individual poem rounds and one group poem round where each team gets one turn per round. · There will be four teams in each bout. · Teams must prepare at least six individual poems and two group poems. Poems cannot be repeated until finals. · No poet can perform twice in an individual slot during the same bout. · The four top-ranking teams will compete in the grand slam finals. · Slam is a game. A mixed panel of artists, educators, youth and audience members judges each bout. Judges are in no way affiliated with the teams who participate. Judges are given loose criteria for judging poems according to performance and the strength of the written text. · The six high-scoring individuals will be invited to attend Brave New Voices, the National Teen Poetry Festival in San Jose, CA in July 2007.
WordPlay Slam Rules: · Participants must be between 13-19 years old. · Participants must be sponsored by an adult mentor. · No profanity (scores will be penalized). · Content matter may not exceed a PG-13 rating (no excessive violence, sexually explicit content and /or language degrading to any group of people). Failure to heed the PG-13 rating will result in disqualification. · No poem may exceed three minutes in length. Time penalties will be applied. · Each participant must perform original writing. Participants that plagiarize will be disqualified. · There should be exactly four performers in a group piece. · Props, costumes, and/or musical accompaniment may not be used in the slam. · Participants must attend the April 26 Crossing the Street event and the April 27 event workshops in their entirety. Non-attendance will result in disqualification. · Only one team per school/youth organization (for example, one high school may not send four teams to slam). Poets in the slam should be chosen to represent the organization or school. · Every participant must be physically present and checked in at least 30 minutes before their bout begins. · No fighting, drugs, or alcohol. (Participants will be disqualified.)
WordPlay Slam Recommendations: · We encourage you to memorize the poems you will compete with, though it is not required. · Two alternate team members are encouraged. · Performances will be judged on both written and performance qualities. Keep this in mind when preparing. · Rehearse! Be certain that each team member is audible and understandable. Practice with a microphone and mic stand, if possible. · Be respectful of yourself and the youth writing community and the group you represent. · We will follow the rules we have established, please do not expect them to be flexible. · We encourage you to not take the competition so seriously that you do not listen and learn from the other poets. A Spirit of the Slam award will be given to the team who demonstrates the most support for other teams. That team will be given an opportunity to perform a group poem on the finals stage. · If you register and find out later that you will not be able to attend, please notify organizers ASAP so an alternate team can have the chance to participate in the slam.
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How Can You Get Involved?—Register a team from your school or community center. Hold a qualifying slam or just pull together a group of teens between the ages of 13-19 who want to work together to share their poems and represent their school or community organization. *WordPlay can send a mentor to advise you on how to set up a team and prepare for a poetry slam! Mail the registration form in by February 16.
—Volunteer at the festival. Contact us at 225.388.9737 to find out how.
—Bring a group to see the events. This is a perfect activity for school, church or community groups. Contact us for group reservations at 225-388-9737.
—Come out to hear the poetry yourself. The readings will be entertaining and educational for everyone.
—Be a donor by making a financial contribution to Big Buddy. For just $100, you can be the sponsor of a teen poet.
DOWNLOAD THE SLAM TEAM REGISTRATION FORM HERE
Return to WordPlay at Big Buddy Program 1415 Main Street Baton Rouge, La. 70802 FAX: 225.346.8441 PHONE: 225.388.9737 ext. 207
This program is made possible by generous support of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, The Louisiana Department of Education, Charles Lamar Family Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, Commercial Properties Development Corporation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Division of the Arts, and many other individuals and organizations that support the ongoing work of the Big Buddy Program.
Supported by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts …and by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge through the Decentralized Arts Funding Program.
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