Earlier this year, in response to the Covid-19 lockdown, The Civic Theatre embarked on an artistic adventure to reach out and make connections, to make work, at a time when that seemed impossible. Eighteen brave denizens of South County Dublin took part in ‘Songs of Change’. In the course of the project each participant kept a journal, with lists and thoughts and texts that are currently undergoing a process of alchemy to turn them into ten original songs. Watch The Civic Theatre’s online space early next year for news
of their debut. The form of choice for ‘Songs of Change’ was the haiku. Three lines, short/long/short, to capture a moment, a thought, a feeling. After exploration and conversation, distillation. The initial workshop programme for Songs came to an end in late August and to keep the creative juices flowing The Civic laid down an artistic gauntlet.
A Year In Haikus
This Is October….
“In hallways, the characteristic tenement paint remains: Raddle Red below the rail – “it was dark and forgiving” – and above, Reckitts Blue, which was thought to have hygienic qualities, masking the smell of mass habitation.” Deirdre Falvey, Irish Times, Friday 9th October, 2020, Dublin Tenement LifeI took part in a Zoom call related to 14 Henrietta Street recently and learned that, as well as being a stain for the walls which was mixed with disinfectant to kill unpleasant odours, Red Raddle was used by some of the women living in the tenements as a beauty aid. They would lick their finger, run it across the ‘raddled’ walls, then apply to their lips and cheeks.
For More About Songs of Change: Read HERE
To Read The September Haikus: CLICK HERE
