Image: supplied
On a freezing and grey Melbourne afternoon, last Sunday, a bunch of children and adults were crowded into a tiny space at The Channel doing what humans have done for eons to avoid inclement conditions: listening to stories.
Affiliated with the South London Battersea Arts Centre, Steven Camden, who goes by the name Polarbear, has been in Melbourne for the past week with his latest spoken word performance Mouth Open, Story Jump Out. His show is designed to bring stories and the art of story-telling to children and adults to awaken the story-telling potential in all by following some fast and easy steps.
This piece was an interactive monologue which contained much audience contribution and his own story about himself as a young boy navigating the popularity charts of primary school and using his ability to “make stuff up” to his detriment and his advantage.
On entering the space, Camden is there in scruffy jeans, a tea shirt and trainers welcoming everyone in, asking friendly questions and nearly begging the audience to relax. The space resembles a chaotic children’s bedroom; a brightly lit area with a back wall covered in a huge world map with various random images stuck to it (later to be revealed connected to his story) and a floor strewn with paper.
Now a dad living in North London, Camden grew out of the Birmingham hip-hop scene and his manner embodies the same bouncy restless energy of a hip-hop artist, inviting his audience to be involved but, ultimately, remaining in charge of the show. He throws questions out to the audience like an auctioneer, yelling “don’t think, just speak out, you are allowed to speak out!”. Delighted by the high energy of Camden, children were wrenching arms from sockets to get their answers heard.
“What’s the best job in the world, tell me, what’s the best” Camden asked, on all fours, pen in hand over butcher paper, looking up at his audience with wide, eager eyes. The answers came thick and fast: astronaut, zookeeper, robot maker, a doing-nothing-er, seal tour operator and, my personal favourite, hotel tester.
Following a few of these warm-up exercises, Camden went on to create a story from the audience, with incredible speed and displaying an extraordinary dexterity of mind that explains his reputation as a leader in spoken word performance (as well as children’s novelist) in the UK. The audience were encouraged to sketch a picture of how we see the characters described, to shout out what their favourite foods were and to stand up to dance like “an octopus wearing high heels, on ice, in a tornado” (it is worth trying) all accompanied with the insistent reminder not to “overthink”.
“Questions plus answers plus no overthinking equals honest and interesting characters” is the secret equation to story telling that Camden writes in the booklet which goes with the show; a DIY manual to learning to be a story teller.
The sixty minute show was funny and flawlessly delivered by a very experienced and benevolent story teller. The children were transfixed by the story Camden told about his primary school days: his father leaving one Sunday morning without explanation never to return, how the school teacher talked and how telling stories is a power that needs to be used wisely. Polarbear repeated the moral of his story twice “A lie is selfish, a story is a gift”.
Camden has the uncanny ability to talk child-speak and apparently remember what it feels like to be ten: what the intimidation of a school bully feels like, what an older sister represents from the younger siblings perspective. “Let me tell you one thing,” says Camden sidling up to the audience with a stage whisper, “Older sisters are strong”. Half the children groan and nod their heads in resigned agreement loving to hear their reality acknowledged. For an adult it is a useful glimpse into child consciousness.
Camden has a gift to make accessible performances that hold children close throughout. He told me “I used to tell loads of stories when I was a kid, but I completely stopped at secondary school because there was simply no support”. Camden, together with Battersea Art Centre, does not want to see that happening to other kids. His concern for spreading his gift makes him a generous performer as well as a talented one; it is a winning combination.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Mouth Open, Story Jump Out
Performed by Steven Camden
Polarbear and Battersea Arts Centre on Tour
The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne,
28th – 29th June 2015​
