On Monday night, Trinity and University College Dublin (UCD) teamed up in a rare, non-competitive environment, for a Literary Society Open Mic Night. Held in Workman’s Vintage Room, the venue was well-chosen: wallpaper, vintage paraphernalia and mood lighting giving the place a low-key Stranger Things vibe. With the audience relegated to the floor given a shortage of chairs, the event started with a story-time atmosphere, the audience looking up at performers to take in and appreciate their work.
The first half saw poets from both the Trinity and UCD literary societies performing their poetry in what was a welcoming and appreciative atmosphere. Poems varied in subject matter, from the deeply personal to the historical, with a stand-out performance from Trinity Literary Society Librarian Amber Connell. Her poem about the 1977 New York Blackout edged between performance poetry and rap, requiring audience participation in building, atmospheric countdowns.
The evening mainly focused on poetry, but provided some variety with one prose piece, and an excerpt from a play. In the second half, open-mic sign ups saw the line between performers and audience dissolve, with varied readings and performances running for well over an hour. But it was easy for the audience to remain engaged, with the variety of performances ranging from the emotional to the hilarious.
The co-hosting between Trinity and UCD was a point of harmony rather than contention, and overall, the evening ran with a chilled-out and warm ambience. It was a platform for both experienced and first-time spoken word performers, and, in the busy week of the Trinity Arts Festival, it was a relaxed independent event to unwind at.
