PlayhouseSquare's SLAM U Ends, Finalists Appointed To Cleveland's Slam Team

The competition portion of Slam U came to a close on Friday, April 17 in the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. More than 500 guests watched as fifteen of Northeast Ohio's best teen poets battled for six spots on Cleveland's National Youth Poetry Slam Team.

The Slam U 2009 finalists, making up Cleveland's National Youth Poetry Slam Team are:

Derick Holifield, Junior, Cleveland School of the Arts

Cyndii Johnson, Senior, Cleveland School of the Arts

Jonathan Lykes, Freshman, University of Chicago

Lee McKinstry, Senior, Westlake High School

Eric Odum, Senior, Cleveland School of the Arts

Akeem Rollins, City Year Corps Member

New to the team are Derick, Cyndii and Lee. Eric and Akeem were on the team last year, and Jonathan has been a team member for the past two years. Students are eligible to participate through age 19.

The students are scheduled to practice at PlayhouseSquare and give a showcase performance on July 8 at 7 p.m. before traveling to Brave New Voices, the annual International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, in Chicago. July 14-19, 2009. PlayhouseSquare provides for the team's travel and expenses through the generosity of The Cleveland Foundation, The Human Fund and The Michael Pender Memorial Fund of The Cleveland Foundation. The showcase performance on July 8th will be free and open to the public.

Brave New Voices was created to give teens their own forum for expressing themselves with the aim of gathering, educating and showcasing young writers from across the country. The festival includes open microphone time for the teen participants, an adult reading that features professional poets and performers, panel discussions, workshops led by professional writers and educators and the International Youth Poetry Slam. Although the slam is a competitive event, teens are encouraged to focus on commitment to the craft and growth as a writer, person and community member. HBO filmed a seven-part series at last year's Brave New Voices festival. The series airs on HBO on Sundays at 11 p.m.

Slam U is the annual series of free spoken word poetry workshops and events held by PlayhouseSquare's Arts Education Department. Slam U 2010 will begin on January 15, 2010. Drop-in practice sessions will be offered at Cuyahoga County Public Library branches and at PlayhouseSquare. Information about Slam U is available by calling 216-348-7909 or online at playhousesquare.org/artseducation.

Poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. Emphasis is on both writing and performance. At a poetry slam, poets perform their work and members of the audience serve as judges.

PlayhouseSquare places incredibly strong emphasis on arts education and believes that it is essential to improving the quality of life in our community. Through a variety of workshops and classes designed for people of all ages, the PlayhouseSquare Arts Education Department offers avenues to discovery, appreciation and development in and through the performing arts, connecting participants with national and international artists in unique and meaningful ways. PlayhouseSquare initiates collaboration among educators, artists and other community organizations, and actively forms mutually beneficial partnerships with local arts organizations to create and present arts education experiences of the highest quality. Always striving to fulfill its role as an asset to the Northeast Ohio community, PlayhouseSquare is an active leader in advocating arts education both locally and within the performing arts industry.

PlayhouseSquare is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is presenting and producing a wide variety of quality performing arts, advancing arts education and creates a destination that is a superior location for entertainment, business and housing, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of the region.

 

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