And what an evening it was! A small but appreciative audience attended my showcase of poetry and videos, presented in an interview style by the ebullient host Mags Delaney.
Creative Talks 2024
The Pumphouse Theatre has been hosting a series of creative talks throughout 2024. Creatives from all walks of life have already appeared on stage for the events.
I was thrilled to participate as a poet on the evening of the 20th of May. The Events page of my website announced the occasion in anticipation.
How It All Began
The involvement with The Pumphouse began when I attended a celebration of poetry in October 2023 on the theme of Love, Peace and Protest. As an introduction, I emailed the host with three poems in the hope of reading them at the event. Mags Delaney accepted my work, with the invitation to come to The Pumphouse Theatre in Takapuna.
The Theatre was formerly a water pumping station and has reincarnated as a performing arts venue, its heritage carefully preserved. Situated in Killarney Park overlooking Lake Pupuke, it is an attractive site for all forms of theatre, providing much inspiration. It lies below a secluded street not far from the busy centre of Takapuna. The prominent chimney is visible from the main streets, making the venue easy to find. As we arrived early, we took the opportunity to explore the grounds overlooking the lake.
The Stage is Set
Following an afternoon of poetry performance in the intriguingly situated Coalbunker, Mags invited me to present an evening of my poetry as part of the Creative Talks for 2024. May 2024 was a long way off then, but time flew very quickly. Preparation entailed sending Mags several of my YouTube videos which she cunningly set up as an integrated part of the stage production. It was bound to be an entertaining evening.
We – being my husband and I – planned the outing well in advance, booking a night at the Ibis Hotel in Ellerslie and getting into the mood by arriving early from Te Aroha and checking in comfortably before the evening kicked off. We dined beforehand in the Ibis Café and set out in torrential rain to the Pumphouse in Takapuna. Fortunately, the rain did not deter the number of attendees.
During the course of the evening, one of the videos which roused much interest was Maui Catches the Big Kahuna. The poem originally appeared in Flights Issue 10, courtesy of Flight of the Dragonfly. A blog covers the publication of my poems in that Issue in more detail.
After some forty minutes of poetry readings and video presentations, the audience participated with questions and anecdotes. Afterwards, we gathered for tea and refreshments. A few of the attendees bought copies of my poetry books, Mirrored Time and All Revolutions Begin This Way, which was a happy bonus. While the rain thrashed down, we mingled in the warm seclusive space of the Coalbunker. It was a most enjoyable evening.
Before leaving to face the elements, our delightful host presented me with a small leaving gift. In it was a card expressing her thanks.
