Poetry’s relation to teen audiences
One, if not the biggest, part of teenagers’ lives is staying in the loop. Whether that be the latest celebrity news, the newest big album release, or even simply the most recent meme to come across on TikTok; keeping up with trends and pop culture helps teens to stay socially connected. Due to the rapid nature of trend cycles and the non-stop revolving door of memes and internet ‘brainrot’ culture, adults and youth organisations that are not up to speed with the latest lingo are finding it increasingly difficult to relate to teen audiences. How can we truly connect with today’s youth when much of their shared language and references exist in a liminal, mercurial, and purposefully transient cyberspace? How can we make live theatre and the written word as interesting and eye-ball gripping as a teen’s FYP*?
Image credit: Stephen Henry
In their energetic and witty performances, Poetry in Action strives to showcase the similarities between poetry and the everyday parts of teenagers’ lives. By incorporating elements such as music, quotes, and memes (6 7 anyone?), PIA are able to showcase how poetry already exists around teens in their day-to-day lives – even within the online and social culture that can often feel so removed from anything pertaining to poetry or literature (unless you find your way into online corners like BookTok or PoetryTok, that is). After a PIA show, audiences are left with a newfound appreciation of poetry, with the realisation that poetry and rhetoric remain, indeed, all around.
Image credit: Stephen Henry
The conversations around the relationship between music and poetry is often the most eye-opening for teenage audiences, as it is a medium through which they experience poetry without often even realising it. Highlighting this correlation often leads to teens becoming more interested in poetry and the power of language, as many of their favourite song lyrics are already derived from poetry, or can be considered poetry themselves.
At the end of the day, Poetry in Action helps teens to realise that, in fact, they already love poetry! They just need to be shown that the bridge between Playboi Carti and William Wordsworth is actually not as far as it seems. Companies like Poetry in Action strive to bridge that gap alongside their student audiences. The arts are an essential part of our lives, and we need to nurture that from a young age!
*TikTok’s ‘For You Page.’ The home-feed of TikTok ruled by an ever-learning algorithm designed to show users content based on their interests and viewing habits. Consider it essentially the Eye of Sauron of social media – it locks you into its searching gaze and makes it nigh impossible to look away. Only it is not looking for The One Ring. Oh, no. It is instead searching for more ways to keep your eyeballs glued to the TikTok screen, a symbol of social media’s grip and The Algorithm’s overwhelming power over us all.
Asher Shepherd (Year 10 work experience student, currently studying at SHORE) in conversation with Olivia Hall-Smith (Producer for Poetry in Action)