WORD IN HAND REVIEW – Tuesday 6th February at The Red Rattler Theatre

by Lauren O’Machel

Located in Marrickville, The Red Rattler might not be your typical theatre, but it holds the power and spirit of any other large theatre you may have experienced. In an intimate setting, The Red Rattler held their monthly event ‘Word in Hand’ on the 6th of February that introduced both first-time poetry readers and experienced poets such as Omar Musa, Nancy J. Denis and LEWA. All of which brought their own style and energy to the stage that instantly grabbed the attention of the audience.

With a room filled with over 200 people, coordinator Candy Royalle took over Word in Hand starting back in January of 2017. With the event about to disappear, Royalle couldn’t let that happen. So, she took matters into her own hands and decided relaunch Word in Hand to be a safe place where people of all different backgrounds could come express themselves or just enjoy the poetic atmosphere.

Royalle enjoys many parts of Word in Hand but her favorite part has to be the audience’s reactions.

“Seeing the joy that they experience and their responses to the artists,” Royalle says. “I don’t know how else they would be exposed to them [poets] if it weren’t for groups and people like us.”

An overwhelming supportive crowd came to support this event but two attendees Gabe Gasparinatos and Moreblessing Maturure are well-versed in this kind of scene but encourage those who want to take the chance to experience something like this to just go for it.

“Utilize the amazing safe spaces to attend cultural events to really learn something and surround yourself with great people,” said Gasparinatos.

“Find a friend that won’t unfriend you, buy them a ticket as well and tell them, ‘We’re doing this thing.’,” Maturure explained. “Even if you don’t want to engage with it, be in the room and see how it happens and feel the vibe. And if you’re interested, then come back.”

Word in Hand is scheduled for the first Tuesday of every month at The Red Rattler Theatre. And listen to Bibi & The Big Blue every Wednesday at 11 p.m. for Something Old, Something New, Queer Funk, Soul, Jazz, Dance & Blues!