The Circle Sessions 4.16

FAQ of the Circle Sessions (CS)

- Who are you and what do you do?

We are a performance collective of poets, musicians, comedians and other performance artists. We meet every Monday night in the International Bar (Wicklow Street) between 8pm and 11.15pm and perform anything and everything.

We are now 2 years old and in that time we have grown from a small group performing in the Harbour Bar, Bray to a much larger group who have performed at everything from showcases (including for RTE, Bray Arts and others) to Electric Picnic (where we ran our circle over 3 days in our own tent!).

- Are you an open mic?

Yes and no! We are similar to an open mic in that we encourage members of our audience to perform, however, the main difference is that we do not normally use a mic! The performers are there to perform and the audience are there to listen. There is a mutual respect between the two such that amplification is rarely required, which creates its own unique atmosphere.

- Who performs?

The performers are split up into 3 different groups:
• Impromptu
• Featured
• Regular

- What’s an ‘impromptu’ performer and how do I become one?

At the Circle Sessions we love a variety of performance above everything else. We love that even though proceedings are well organised, we can often be pleasantly surprised at what happens next. That’s where our jar comes in! If you have never performed at CS before all you need to do is stick your name on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. We read from the jar at various points in the night; 2 or 3 acts at a time. (And don’t worry, we always give you time to prepare, so you should never be put on the spot!). We guarantee that if you put your name down you will get to perform and normally within 60 minutes of signing up. Having performed as an impromptu performer, you can request a featured slot.

- What’s a ‘featured’ performer and how do I become one?

A featured performer has a 20 minute uninterrupted performance slot. There are 4 slots per week (normally 1 spoken word/poetry/comedy; 3 music). These performers who have been invited by the Circle Sessions organisers to come and showcase their work. Typically, they are experienced acts who have shown in the past what they can bring to such a creative atmosphere. By far the best way to become a featured performer is to come and perform impromptu and get to know the lie of the land! We appreciate performers who believe in what we're doing in creating a safe and open atmosphere of collaboration. Inclusive and interactive performances are also hugely welcome. We are also delighted to hear from you by facebook message or by email (circlesessions1@gmail.com) so we can familiarise ourselves with your work and slot you in at a time that suits us all – especially if you live outside Dublin and cannot make it in to perform in person without assurance of a longer set.

- What’s a ‘regular’ performer and how do I become one?
A regular is someone who has performed with us more than five times and has completed a featured set. As a regular there is no need to put your name in the jar. We know your style, so we’ll call on you to perform when you’ll fit best into the particular vibe of the night. Regulars are also the first performers we approach regarding CS performances outside the International Bar, such as at showcases and festivals, weekly challenges (such as Popsicles and Dis-cover-y) not to mention our regular album projects, the first of which as finished in December 2015 and is available on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify right now!

- What can I perform?

ANYTHING!

But we find that most performances end up in the following categories:

• Music
• Poetry/spoken word
• Comedy
• Dance
• Short film / photography
• Physical artwork

The stage and venue is relatively small so there is a size restriction – but other than that if you can physically perform it, it’s allowed.

- Do I have to perform my own work?

No. The only thing we care about is that there is something of yourself in the piece. CS takes great pride in promoting self-composed material but some of our best performances are ones where performers reinterpret an existing piece.

- I’m (Polish/Spanish/Dutch/Chinese/From Kerry), do I have to perform in English?

No. We love to have performances in different languages and from different cultures.

- What can you promise me as a performer?

• We at CS promise our performers a safe space to perform free from interruption. We want all our performers to feel that their performance matters regardless of what it is or how they feel about it.
• We can also promise all performers that we will assist you in whatever way we can in getting your name out there, if that’s a priority for you. We’re by no means a promotions powerhouse but every single performer who performs gets a thank you on our facebook page, every single week. We always want to bring your performances to the world, in so far as we can.
• We can promise you free use of a digital piano every single week (which, trust me, for the pianists is a big deal!).

- What you can promise us as performers and audience:

All we want is people who perform from the heart and respect those who do the same.
Buying a copy of our album or one of our limited edition wristbands wouldn’t hurt either. ;)

- Do I have to perform?

Of course not! Circles is just as much about watching as taking part, however, if you feel you have something to perform we’d love to have you involved.