March 27th is World Theatre Day so here is a little bit about poetry in theatre, or in other words, performance poetry. Today, we’re not just writing words… we’re staging them.
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Poetic Sundays: Staging Words in Performance Poetry
Instead of a poetic form this week, I’m sharing something a little more alive—performance poetry—timed with World Theatre Day (March 27th). Because sometimes (well, more than sometimes) poetry isn’t just meant to be read… it has to be performed!
Performance poetry invites us onto the stage. And the best part? It doesn’t require costumes, memorization, or even perfection. All you really need is your voice.
Button Poetry, spoken word poetry, and poetry slams are all forms of performance poetry. I fell in love with spoken word/button poetry the moment I first saw it, and am constantly in awe of every one of those poets! Even many dramatic monologues and theatrical readings fall into this expressive space.
So let’s take a closer look at what makes poetry truly performable.
🎤🎭 What Makes Poetry “Performance Poetry”?
This isn’t a strict formula—just a simple cheat-sheet to guide performance
💡 P.E.R.F.O.R.M.
- Pace – slow down or speed up for effect
- Emotion – let feeling shape your voice
- Rhythm – use natural beats in language
- Facial expression – speak with your face as well as your words
- Out loud – poetry must be spoken, not just read
- Repeat – use repetition for emphasis and impact
- Meaning – highlight what you want your audience to feel and understand
Why Performance Poetry Matters
Performance poetry is powerful because it connects writing, speaking, and emotion all at once. It helps learners, writers, and performers of all ages by:
- building reading fluency through natural expression
- deepening understanding of meaning through voice and emotion
- developing clear and confident speaking skills
- offering a safe space to explore emotion through words
- removing pressure for “perfect writing” and encouraging creative freedom
✍️ Simple Performance Poetry Prompt
First step, choose a poem you would like to perform. Or maybe you can write one! You could write a poem about a favorite moment, a strong feeling, or simply something surprising or funny.
Next step is performing it. For that, try breaking your poem into short lines. Then, decide how your voice should sound. Finally, read it like you are on a stage 🎤.
Performance poetry reminds us that words are not just written; they are lived, spoken, and shared. So go ahead, step onto your stage (even if it’s just your room) and let your words be heard.
I’m still hesitant about performing poetry despite my love for it, but here’s a small poem I wrote keeping this in mind and I even tried recording myself reading this aloud—still learning, but here it is if you’d like to listen 🎤
Recently
On My Blog and the Home Front
These posts made their way out into the world on my blog this past week:
- Grammar That Grows: Adding Life with Adjectives and Adverbs
- Everything Green!
- Sunday Scribblings #247 : Pourquoi Poetry: How to Answer the Why
Upcoming
On My Blog & Homefront
Not sure what will show up on my blog but the homefront is going to be as usual – just the normal routines.
This Week’s Celebrations:
Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)
- Literary birthdays this week of March include: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Muthuswami Dikshitar on March 24th; Flannery O’Connor, Linda Sue Park, Kate DiCamillo on 25th March; Erica Jong, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, and Viktor Frankl on the 26th of March; Julia Alvarez on March 27th; Maxim Gorky and Russell Banks on March 28; Amy Sedaris, Ranjit Hoskote on March 29th
- It is Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th
- While the 27th of March is World Theatre Day and Scribble Day, as well as Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
Foodie Celebrations
- It is National Chia Day, National Chip and Dip Day, National Tamale Day, and National Melba Toast Day on the 23rd of March!!!
- While March 24th is National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day and National Cocktail Day
- Followed by International Waffle Day on the 25th.
- And National Spinach Day as well as National Nougat Day on the 26th of March.
- March 27th is National Spanish Paella Day and International Whiskey Day
- While the 28th brings yumminess in the form of National Black Forest Cake Day and Eat an Eskimo Pie Day!!
- And more deliciousness with National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day on the 29th
Other Celebrations
- World Meteorological Day and National Puppy Day are observed on March 23rd.
- While the 24th is International Right to Truth Day
- It is World Retrospective Day on the 25th
- Followed by National Today is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day on March 26th. For us in our family, we are celebrating a birthday for sure! And we can always make up something else to celebrate too, though… the 26th is also Solitude Day, Epilepsy Awareness Day – Purple Day, and this year, it is also World Maths Day. Also being the last Wednesday in March, the 26th is also Manatee Appreciation Day and National Little Red Wagon Day
- The 27th is National Acoustic Soul Day
- March 28th is International Women in Music Day and Wear a Hat Day 😉
- It is World Piano Day on the 88th day of the year, that is, March 29th this year!
- March 29th is Mermaid Day and World Marbles Day.
Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings
So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?
Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon
