ArtHouse Jersey to launch 'Live at the Barracks'

A brand new limited season of live music and spoken word performances launching Thursday 10 June with poet Traci O'Dea & support ArtHouse Jersey is excited to announce their brand new, limited season of live music and spoken word events, ‘LIVE AT THE BARRACKS’. Taking place at the art charity’s HQ at Greve de Lecq Barracks the events will span four genres of entertainment; poetry, music, drama and comedy, with each genre spread over two nights (Thursdays and Fridays) throughout the summer of 2021.The programme includes the poetry events on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 June with poet Traci O'Dea who will be supported by Juliette Hart, Martha MacDonald and Olivia Bouchard, live Music from Von Cassidy on Thursday 1 & Friday 2 July, Drama sketches from playwright collective Plays Rough on 22 & 23 July and finally Comedy from the popular creator of ‘Jersey A Musical Journey’ mocu-series, Christian Jegard on 26 & 27 August.Now able to confidently throw open the doors of The Barracks to the public, ArtHouse Jersey welcomes ‘LIVE AT THE BARRACKS’ not only as an opportunity to to take their digital platform ArtHouse Jersey Presents out into the physical realm of tangible performance, but also to celebrate the fantastic creative hub that is the ArtHouse Jersey HQ site.Tickets cost £15 for each event though ArtHouse Jersey will be offering a ‘pay what you can’ option within the booking system.The season launches with two evenings of poetry from Jersey-based poets Traci O’Dea, Juliette Hart, Martha MacDonald, and Olivia Bouchard. The performances will take place on 10 and 11 of June, 19:30 to 21.30 to celebrate the release of Traci O’Dea’s poetry collection, Restricted Movement (Scotland Street Press), which was supported by ArtHouse Jersey’s Project and Development funding. Restricted Movement documents twelve months during the pandemic when O’Dea was assisting her artist father who is overseas in Baltimore struggling with dementia and drug addiction. The poems in the collection are influenced by Jersey walks, doctor’s appointments, tarot cards, her father’s art, and the new order of things resulting from the pandemic. The collection’s structure fluctuates between established poetic forms, loosely iambic letters, and blank verse.In addition to Traci’s poems, the book includes 24 paintings by her father, outsider artist Tommy O’Dea. ‘These poems are filled with heartache and worry about my dad in Baltimore as well as confrontations of my own mortality inspired by encounters in Jersey. Somehow, they’re also funny and sexy at times,’ O’Dea said about Restricted Movement.Traci O’Dea studied English Literature at the University of Maryland and has two master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University. An editor for the literary journals Smartish Pace, MOKO: Caribbean Arts & Letters and Lit., she currently lives in St Helier. O’Dea will be supported by poets Juliette Hart, Martha MacDonald, and Olivia Bouchard.Jersey-born poet Juliette Hart is co-founder of the poetry collective and open mic platform La Poèt'tie. Her collection Reflections of D-Day was inspired by veterans with whom she travelled to Normandy, and much of her poetry explores Jersey's Occupation and Liberation.Always tongue-in-cheek, Martha MacDonald’s comedic poems find lightness and joy in otherwise difficult or contentious situations. In addition to poetry, Martha writes plays, comedy sketches, funny columns and recently wrote and assistant directed her own short film which is due to come out later this year.Olivia Bouchard, a 22-year-old poet from Jersey, has performed at spoken word events across London and completed her first poetry collection. Her work focuses on identity, human connection and femininity.Pippa Le Quesne, Programme Manager for ArtHouse Jersey commented, “We’re thrilled to have two evenings of poetry as part of our Live at the Barracks series this summer, with four poets who have such a wide variety of styles. And we’re proud to host the launch of Traci O’Dea’s debut poetry collection, which will speak to everyone as it reflects the universal range of emotions experienced through the pandemic.”Poetry at LIVE AT THE BARRACKS with Traci O’Dea & Co takes place on two nights; Thursday 10 June or Friday 11 June, and runs from 7.30pm to 9.30pm with an interval.Tickets for all the LIVE AT THE BARRACKS performances can be found on Eventbrite and direct links can be found via www.arthousejersey.je or via ArtHouse Jersey’s social media channels.Tickets cost £15 + booking fee. ArtHouse Jersey will also be offering a pay what you can option.