Perth poet Jim Mackintosh has created a film poem to highlight people’s personal memories of live entertainment during the pandemic.
‘Unlock’ launches on Saturday, World Theatre Day, on Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre’s daily lockdown blog ‘Keep Going Together’.
The poem is based on responses to a call out from the concert hall and theatre asking people what they missed about live performances and what they are looking forward to once entertainment venues are allowed to reopen.
The video for the film poem also includes contributions from members of the public, actors, and people involved in the creative arts, and was filmed at the locked down Perth Theatre.
It also includes a contribution from late Perth actor Andy Gray, who died from coronavirus in January.
Jim said: “The piece was inspired by the film ‘Everyone Means Something’ that I created for Perth Theatre’s Fun Palaces Festival in October.
“We asked members of the public, actors and those involved in the creative arts to film what they miss and what they look forward to seeing once our theatres can open again.
“The film is a weave of those responses stitched together with threads filmed by myself in and around the theatre.
“One of the most poignant pieces in the film is the contribution from the late Andy Gray who sadly passed away in January.
“With the help of the theatre’s Ginger Ramsden, we were able to put a screen on the theatre stage and then film Andy’s contribution, where he was so much at home.
“It was a powerful moment and highlighted for me how much we miss our precious arts industry and the gaps which there will be in the audiences and on stage where friends and loved ones should be.”
‘Unlock’ will be available to watch on the ‘Keep Going Together’ blog from Saturday.