We caught up with poet and performer, Luke Wright, ahead of his visit to Brewery Arts to discuss his new show, which he describes as ‘filtering out the things that don’t matter, whilst still caring about the things that do’.
How do we let go, without giving up? After turning 40 this year, Luke Wright returns to Kendal with a new live poetry performance which hopes to answer just that.
Luke has visited Brewery Arts a number of times whilst touring his poetry, and explains “It’s about getting together, having a great time, and getting joy from literature”.
His reason for getting on the road repeatedly over 25 years is to entertain an audience and bring people together, offering a gesture of humanity during each show.
“Poetry live on stage is thrilling and exciting when it’s done well, that’s what I aim to do”, he said.
His new show contains poems that will provoke tears, laughter, and tears of laughter. Compared to Luke’s 2019 show, Poet Laureate, he states that he found inner confidence in both the writing and performing processes, which allowed him to take risks and grow as an artist.
“I’m so appreciative of being able to perform again, and, as a result, there is a wider range of material and confidence in my conviction when delivering the piece”, said Luke.
“The show now feels very natural and normal to me, but certainly when I was making it, I felt like I was taking many leaps forward”.
Luke describes his newest performance as an honest reflection of his current life situation. Dealing with emotions, the poetry talks about himself, his children, his parents, his relationships, and all of the normal, and ludicrous, things which human beings will go through in a lifetime.
“It puts into words the way we’ve felt previously but couldn’t articulate ourselves, actively describing the emotion and making everyone feel a lot more seen and heard,” said Luke.
By it being so personal, Luke hopes to bridge his mind to the audience, building a connection and a sense of community which can only be experienced with live poetry on stage; something that Luke experienced for the first time at the age of 16.
“I knew at that moment that I wanted to do poetry, on stage. It changed my life. I just thought… I want to do that”, said Luke.
Throughout his career, Luke has worked with iconic writers who have inspired him to create and made him feel a part of something, and he describes the feeling of touring with other creatives as ‘feeling like family’.
Luke’s first gig was supporting the ‘loveable eccentric’, Dr John Cooper Clarke, who he had met before ever witnessing him on stage. He describes John as ‘like no other, completely awe commanding, and inspiring’, and is honoured to continue to work with him so closely.
“Nothing beats being in a theatre and seeing it live, this is a live performance which cannot be captured in any other way”, said Luke.
Luke Wright performs at Brewery Arts, on 28 October, starting 8.15pm. You can book tickets here.
