Autumn Term Reflections

This term I have had the pleasure of seeing a broad range of work produced by the members of Underground Lights, with the very first being the Autumn Term Open Mic Night. With that being one of my very first sessions with the company, I was enamoured by the talent and vast range of performances – from poetry to devised performances to songs which were written by the members themselves, there was something for everyone.

As well as this, I have also been very lucky to have attended Wednesday’s Creative Café sessions at the Methodist Central Hall, where I have seen the members utilise their skills in performing arts through singing, performance and dancing. Through this setting, I was able to facilitate my first solo workshop, titled ‘Exploring Play’, where we discussed why the concept of why ‘play’ is important when working in performing arts industry and how we can utilise playing whilst in sessions.

What follows the Wednesday sessions is Friday’s ‘Lights Up!’ rehearsals, a devised piece which has been meticulously crafted since the Summer term and will be performed in the B2 space in the Belgrade Theatre in February 2024. This particular piece is not something to miss out, where audiences will have the opportunity to watch the raw talent from the members with a devised piece which celebrates the theme of ‘journeys’. Being able to watch the Autumn Showcase, a sneak-peak of the show for the public as well as engaging in weekly rehearsals makes me feel very lucky and I am eagerly counting down towards next year for when I can travel up to Coventry to watch the finalised product!

I was lucky enough to leave my placement with watching another Open Mic and to celebrate with the company by chatting, making jewellery and drawing Christmas cards. Being sat there in that very moment reaffirms what I have said in my previous blog post – that spaces like these are so rare, so difficult to come across, yet so important. Seeing the sheer joy of members interacting in the space and laughing demonstrates how Underground Lights is needed for Coventry and the surrounding community.