Showcasing the top spoken word talent the festival has to offer – from the laugh-out-loud funny, through the wonderfully surreal, to the thoughtful and emotional – Loud Poets continue to prove that spoken word has something for everyone.
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
I Am Loud Productions is the company behind ‘Loud Poets’. With nearly a decade of experience behind them, the Loud Poets team pulls together some of the very best spoken word artists and poets showcasing at #EdFringe each year.
The tried and tested format has proved popular to poetry lovers and spoken word sceptics alike – head along to our year-round home at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and join us for a spectacular evening of spoken word poetry.
Tell us about the creative team and process involved?
I Am Loud Productions is managed by a team of four.
Kevin Mclean is the Creative Director of I Am Loud. Kevin is the project manager and hosts the Loud Poets Showcases and slams. This includes Loud Poets Best of Fringe 2023.
Mark Gallie is the Operations Director of I Am Loud. Mark is the videographer and editor for our digital content (YouTube.com/IAmLoud). This includes Loud Poets Best of Fringe 2023.
Dr Katie Ailes is a producer of I Am Loud Productions. Katie works as an in-person producer for I Am Loud events and manages the closed-captioning of our digital content. This includes Loud Poets Best of Fringe 2023.
Bex Bidgood is the Marketing Manager and producer of I Am Loud Productions. Bex does the marketing, publicity, graphic design, and social media in addition to being an onsite producer for I Am Loud events. This includes Loud Poets Best of Fringe 2023.
Loud Poets: Best of Fringe offers spoken word artists at this year’s festival the opportunity to engage with and perform in front of our regular, Edinburgh-based audience. We focus on working with active spoken word artists in the scene and providing a great variety of performers in each of our nights.
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
As Edinburgh regulars, the Fringe is such a vibrant time for the city. An opportunity for artists who never experience Scotland the rest of the year to really see what it’s like. We look forward to the Fringe every year, and want to prove how much creativity and art there is to showcase in this city (in or outwith August!)
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
The Spoken Word section of the Edinburgh Fringe guide is always the smallest – but we like to think it has the most to offer.
By providing variety in our line-ups, we believe in the power of fist-thumping, pink-drinking, side-tickling, and heart-wrenching spoken word poetry. We want to shine a spotlight on the spoken word section of the fringe!
Is there anything specific you’re hoping for the audience to take away?
So often as we are flyering, we get very concerned, confused, (and sometimes downright disgusted) looks when we say the word ‘poetry!’. We want to show audiences, that there is much more to spoken word poetry than what you learnt in School!
We hope when audiences come to our show, that they take away a new favourite poet – or at least an understanding that there might be more to poetry than they first thought…
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
We want to welcome everyone to our shows at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Each evening has been designed to offer a variety of styles, and we firmly believe there is something for everyone!
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
The Edinburgh Fringe can be such a full-on experience; whether you’re a performer, a local, or a tourist, it is important to stay hydrated, eat well, and sleep whenever you can! You will never catch everything on at the fringe (3000 shows in a month is an impossible task!), so prioritise what you want to see, and then try to relax and enjoy whatever other mysteries you stumble across.
We’d Recommend:
Bear With Me: A Polar Bear in Scotland
Thunderstruck
I hope your flowers bloom
Our Anxious Measurements by Dean Tsang
B Dolan – Modified Warrior
Serious Nonsense (for Terribly Grown-Up People)
Over 2023, we have been running our Loud Poets Slam Series across Scotland. We have 12 incredible Scottish spoken word poets ready and raring to compete for a £3000 prize at our Grand Slam Final event during the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Tickets are available now for the Loud Poets Grand Slam Final. It’s going to be an unforgettable evening – one not to be missed!
In your ideal world, how can we improve the world of the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
We would absolutely love to see an additional section added to the fringe guide for ‘In Conversation’ events or ‘talks’ as these can take over the listing for spoken word. We’d love to see more differentiation available to make it easier for audiences to find and access poetry events during the festival.
