Poetry People bringing life to variety of verse

There’s a big difference between reading a poem to yourself and hearing it performed.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Mar 2013, 15:45 BST
This is an undated sketch of British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was born in Somersby, England, in 1809. He was appointed by Queen Victoria as Poet Laureate in 1850 and served 42 years. He wrote several plays in the 1870s and was declared a baron in 1884. He died in 1892 and is buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London. (AP Photo)This is an undated sketch of British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was born in Somersby, England, in 1809. He was appointed by Queen Victoria as Poet Laureate in 1850 and served 42 years. He wrote several plays in the 1870s and was declared a baron in 1884. He died in 1892 and is buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London. (AP Photo)
This is an undated sketch of British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was born in Somersby, England, in 1809. He was appointed by Queen Victoria as Poet Laureate in 1850 and served 42 years. He wrote several plays in the 1870s and was declared a baron in 1884. He died in 1892 and is buried at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London. (AP Photo)

Hearing it read out loud brings life and meaning to the words - just ask the Poetry People.

They are a group of women who got together to share their love of verse.

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The idea came after they performed in The Christmas Cracker at Lea Village Hall a couple of years ago.

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Anita Daubney, 62, of Beckingham, coaches the others in how to read the poems they choose.

She has been involved in drama in Gainsborough for many years and is a Licentiate of the Guildhall Society of Music and Drama, as well as being an Associate of the London Academy of Music and Drama.

She said: “It’s important to keep the shape of the poem when you’re reading it and you have to know the breathing technique and when to pause.”

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“It’s important to express the mood of the poem in the way you read it.”

“Each line usually has one word which needs emphasis. It can alter the way the whole sentence sounds if you get the inflection wrong.”

“I can read a poem through and it’s immediately obvious.”

Anita, who has taught speech and drama, said all poems have rhythm, and it’s not just a case of picking up a poem and reading it aloud.

She said: “We rehearse every week and it took us a year to get to the standard we wanted to be at.”

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So far Poetry People’s repertoire has included Tennyson’s The Brook, Leisure by WH Davies, and lighter works like Joyce Grenfell’s Stately as a Galleon.

This year’s programme includes a selection of cat and mouse-themed poems including Macavity, and Gus the Theatre Cat by TS Eliot.

They would like to recruit two more members, male or female.

Call 01427 848926 or 01427 616900 for more information or to book the Poetry People. They don’t charge but ask for a donation to cover costs.

Related topics:Gainsborough