OpenMind Festival Day 2

Contact: ushiku.crisafulli@googlemail.com

OpenMind Collective will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary with a special weekend festival – the OpenMind Festival of Independent Artists.

Ushiku Crisafulli wrote a play between October 2009 and January 2010 called ‘Infinite Perspectives’ and his goal was always to perform the piece as part of his own company. He workshopped the piece at the inaugural OpenMind at Earth Cafe in August 2010, and in the past year it has been developed alongside his co-founder of OpenMind - Jamal Lewis-Service who is directing the piece.

Since December 2010 Ushiku has been working with artists nationwide on producing a festival of independent artistry, and OpenMind are proud to announce the OpenMind Festival of Independent Artists.

The festival will take place in 2 venues on 3 different days, with 3 alternate endings being shown on different days of the festival to add a unique experience for the audience on each day, as no performance will be the same. The festival is running from Thursday 11th August to Saturday 13th August which is OpenMind’s official 1 year birthday.

On Friday 12th August OpenMind festival comes to An Outlet with an evening of poetry and performance.
The following poets will be participating in the festival:

Anna McCrory: A young woman who quickly made a huge impression on the Manchester poetry scene before moving to Oxford for University where she is now President of the Oxford University Poetry Society. She’ll be showing just how and why she made such a positive impression so quickly with some witty poetic words – ‘poeming’ as she calls it.

Cynthia Buell Thomas: A talented poet who describes herself as Canadian - Bermudian - British; of Irish and English descent;a teacher/tutor of Basic Maths, English and Music; a professional singer, an amateur actress, and a published poet; married with twin daughters.


Josh Coates: A poet who founded ‘Poetry Picnic’ last year which quickly became a showcase for emerging young poets alongside some more experienced poets in a chilled out setting. He’s not afraid to discuss controversial subject matters but does so in a poignant manner.

David Viney: A powerful poet whose words are deep and impactful, if you’ve heard David Viney before you know you’re in for a treat.

GrIm: A Hertfordshire based poet whose poems often have an edgy hip-hop feel, inspired by artists such as Scroobius Pip. He’s not afraid to approach strong subject matters and does so with raw energy and potency.


Cathy Bryant: A brilliant published poet whose poems like her book contain ‘Strong Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature’, she’s playful, poetic and philosophical.

Rod Tame: Often confused with ‘The Doctor’, Rod’s words will take you on a journey through time and space in poetic verse.

Chris Dommett: A very impressive poet with a strong commitment to his craft – how can one condense ‘A Year of Words’ into one sublime story? I don’t know, you’d have to ask him, but he does it brilliantly.

Dominic Berry: Author of ‘Tomorrow I Will Go Dancing’, this diverse poet loves all things magical and will spellbind you with his poetic verse.

Paris Morel: Paris is an inspiring poet who along with other artists in London work as part of the Fledgling Arts Collective offering support and encouragement to people with mental health needs through artistic expression.

Yusra Warsama: An accomplished actress and poet, Yusra fuses her cultural identity as a British Muslim alongside a uniquely visual and auditory style of poetic performance. She’s honest, talented and outspoken and will definitely leave audiences amazed.

The first performance starts at 6pm, and tickets are available online or on the door.

For more information, tickets and full listings for the festival please visit www.openmindfestival.eventbrite.com


*SPECIAL NOTICE* Capacity 80: Entry guaranteed to weekend pass holders who arrange beforehand to be put on the guest list by ringing Greenroom on 0161 615 0500, anyone else can pay on the door £6/£4 for OpenMind members/concessions if places are available - if you have a valid ticket please ensure to ring beforehand and bring your pass with you to avoid over capacity.

Price: £10.00

Time: 5pm doors, 6pm start.