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“Wake Up and Smell the Poetry – At Night!” Showcases Spoken Word On Stage at Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham - May 4

By contributor,
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Cheryl Perreault is a poet on a mission. She wants the world to wake up to the power of the spoken word. That power will be in the spotlight on Saturday, May 4, 8 p.m., when Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham presents “Wake Up and Smell the Poetry – at Night!” Details at www.amazingthings.org.

Seven years ago, Perreault brought “Wake Up and Smell the Poetry” to Hopkinton’s HCAM-TV. It’s a monthly Saturday morning coffee house where featured performers and open mikers record the show for later airing on local cable. It has taken on a life of its own, packing HCAM studios with capacity crowds and drawing poets, storytellers, activists and musical guests from the neighborhood and around the world. The May 4 event is a showcase of past "Wake Up...!" artists.

Perreault, who has a PhD. in psychology, loves the sense of shared human experience the show cultivates. "When people exchange personal impressions in poetry, story and song, we all learn more about the nature of ourselves,” says Perreault. “We light each other up, calm each other down and make each other laugh – even a tear now and then. It makes us a little stronger.”

"’Wake Up’ brings together a broad range of talented artists and inspires people of all ages with an appreciation for the value of spoken word and music in the fabric of our community," says Phil Knudsen, executive director of Amazing Things. "We are excited that performers from across the region will put their art and passion on one stage, on one special night at Amazing Things on May 4."

The evening will feature two one-hour sets with poets, writers and musicians such as Tim Mason, Kate Chadbourne, Ellen Schmidt (representing Norma Farber), Elizabeth McKim, Bill Thibodeau, Polly Brown, BG Thurston, Marilyn Rea Beyer, Diane Bilyak, Molly Saccardo, Walnut, and others. Admission is $15 (discounts for members, seniors and kids) and includes refreshments.

It’s an age-old and an all-new idea. “Ancient bards and tellers commented on their times,” says WUMB-FM radio host and performer Marilyn Rea Beyer. “Today, spoken word performance is seeing a red-hot renaissance on radio and, thanks to Cheryl Perreault, on local cable TV, and now on stage at Amazing Things.”

Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.amazingthings.org.