MK Lit Fest: Delivering Your Words – Performance Workshop for Writers with Rosemary Hill

If approaching the blank page brings a shiver of apprehension, what about facing an expectant audience that’s waiting to hear your words? But performing your work doesn’t need to be daunting: in this workshop Rosemary Hill brings strategies to help you go beyond ‘reading aloud’ and to confidently deliver your poem or story.

At the beginning of the workshop, we will focus on some breathing exercises, how to position yourself depending on the room size and audience numbers, and on how to project your voice. We will also look at how to adapt your performance to match the material, examining key elements such as emphasis, pacing, tone and pause. 

The next stage is to work on your own piece of poetry or flash fiction – or any piece that you want to practise with and feel comfortable bringing with you. (Nobody will be compelled to do this if they prefer not to: it will be just as informative to watch, although we hope some people will be courageous enough to work on delivering their own work.) By the end of the workshop, everyone will have had the opportunity to experiment with performing their piece and gaining the confidence that comes with it.

About Rosemary Hill
Rosemary is highly experienced in facilitating workshops for anyone interested in developing their performance skills, regularly running events for schools, colleges and universities on all aspects of theatre. She worked as an English and Drama teacher before training as an actor at the Drama Studio, London, worked on the London fringe, and then around the world as a BBC director and producer, making drama and documentary programmes about issues such as FGM, HIV and motherhood, maternal health, women’s rights and girls’ education in developing countries. Since 1999, she has produced several short films and a number of award-winning programmes for BBC World Service and BBC Education.

 Rosemary’s first love is the theatre and she founded The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company in 2008. Her wide-ranging directing experience encompasses Shakespeare, Ibsen and Chekhov, modern classics and plays by remarkable women playwrights such as Bryony Lavery, Caryl Churchill and Timberlake Wertenbaker. She is also passionate about creating more opportunities for women playwrights, directors and actors. She launched the biannual festival ‘Taking The Stage’ in 2019, and her first self-written play, Darlint Peidi, recently toured the UK.

Book now! (places limited)