Recent reviews of N.O.N.C.E. 5 starsN.O.N.C.E. Steve Larkin Venue 2, MTC Up the Alley U.K. poet Steve Larkin delivers a riveting tale based on his own real-life experience serving as poet-in-residence at HMP Grendon Underwood, a high-security therapeutic correctional institution in England. Surrounded by rapists, murderers and pedophiles, Larkin introduces the inmates to creative writing, using the art form as a tool for catharsis and rehabilitation in his antisocial pupils. Among his spoken-word narratives about criminal students with pseudonyms such as Paul Weller and John Lennon and his own personal battles, Larkin interjects his sublime slam poetry with a gripping rap cadence and brash punk rock style that’s absolutely spellbinding. His account is enthralling and his execution superb. Larkin creates theatre that will speak equally to those who find their poetry from classic literary forms or subversive musicians. Run to this show. ― Julijana Capone http://www.uptownmag.com/arts/theatre/Five-star-Fringe-125911639.html N.O.N.C.E. Posted by Kelly Stifora, CBC Review Crew **** N.O.N.C.E. stands for Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise and refers to the type of prisoner Steve Larkin worked with as poet-in-residence at a British therapeutic prison. Larkin's job was to rehabilitate these criminals - whose crimes required they be segregated from other prisoners for their own safety - through poetry and creativity. It's the kind of situation that only a man of unusual talents finds himself in, and Larkin is a man of unusual talents indeed. In a masterful rush of language that combines monologue, dramatic narrative and slam poetry, he tells the true story of how he tried to connect with and help those prisoners, and how they challenged and changed him. If this doesn't seem like your thing, let me add that Larkin's talents include a razor-sharp knack for storytelling. He knows exactly when to change his narrative approach for maximum impact, employs the cadences of language like a virtuoso to give his performance pace, and projects honesty and charisma that defy his punk-rock stance. N.O.N.C.E. isn't for the faint of heart, but those willing to look down a darker road as part of their Fringe experience will be rewarded with the kind of performance that can't be found elsewhere. http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/fringe/2011/07/15/nonce/ FRINGE PLAY REVIEWS Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION N.O.N.C.E. By: Steve Larkin Steve Larkin, Oxford, U.K. 07/15/2011 4:29 PM | Comments: 1 (including replies) Our Rating: Your Average Rating: PRINT E–MAIL 0 0 SHARENEW 0REPORT ERROR MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to July 23 ****1/2 N.O.N.C.E. British performance poet Steve Larkin’s life takes a turn for the perverse when he lands a job as a prison poet-in-residence in this semi-autobiographical piece. At first, Larkin (2007’s Inflatable Buddha) is just happy to have a job, but working with pedophiles, rapists and murders is complicated, not to mention awkward ― "It’s like there’s an elephant in the room and he’s raping a panda with his trunk." A high-energy performer, Larkin goes to dark places, but he lightens the load with comedic flair. As he explores his relationships with the inmates and the women in his life, he’s forced to confront disturbing truths ― about the prisoners and his own multifarious nature. And in a crafty final twist, he makes the audience follow suit. Pat St. Germain http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/fringe/reviews/NONCE-125382473.html Show: N.O.N.C.E. Reviewed by: Todd Babiak Venue: Stage 32, Strathcona Branch Edmonton Public Library Rating: 4 stars Her Majesty’s Prison, Grendon, in Buckinghamshire, specializes in violent criminals and sex offenders of the most heinous variety. Not even prisoners want to be around most of these people; N.O.N.C.E. stands for Not on Normal Courtyard Exercise. For a time, Grendon’s poet-in-residence was Steve Larkin, a veteran of the Fringe circuit and, in his home country, a leading figure in performance poetry. There isn’t a false note in his onstage memoir of his experience, studded with performances of his own work, tragedies and near-tragedies in his personal life, and some generous insights into the humanity of the inhumane. Larkin doesn’t engage in many of the homilies and standards of the one-person show. He isn’t devoted to sentimentality or happy endings, which is fortunate when you’re talking about pedophiles. He breaks his story down elegantly, with combative energy and simple truths. It’s a vindication of the power of poetry without any embarrassing nonsense. Parents of grumpy teenagers who don’t like literature, hint, hint, hint. Todd Babiak http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/Fringe+Review+stars/5217481/story.html A well written verbal bombardment. The thoughtful dialogue which challenges the way we look at sexuality and incarceration. Steve Larkin's presence on stage was as if he was running the Boston Marathon. I felt engaged, like I was part of the conversation, and could offer my opinion. This is clearly an Actor/Poet (and truly I mean a Poet) that I will look for again. N.O.N.C.E. Paul Blinov / paul@vueweekly.com Company: Steve Larkin Starring: Steve Larkin Steve Larkin's recollections of being poet-in-residence at a "therapeutic prison" in the UK is a darkly hypnotic, occasionally hilarious mini-masterpiece of slam storytelling. Larkin's slam-poet style enlivens a clever, rhythmic monologue that's as engrossing as the handful of actual poems he scatters in among the unfolding events. Larkin doesn't shy away from anything in the story―this is a prison ward full of murderers, rapists and pedophiles that he's trying to teach―and his own obsession with these men goes to some strange, bleak places that damage his life outside the walls. But on just about every level, N.O.N.C.E. succeeds in making the story arc a gripping one to watch. http://www.vueweekly.com/fringe/play/p_n.o.n.c.e Stan Pinsent at 16:17 on 28th Jan 2012 **** I love a good monologue, don’t you? An angry rant, an anecdote, cruel impersonation; everything sounds better as a self indulgent soliloquy. Yet Steve Larkin’s ‘N.O.N.C.E’ is quite unlike anything I’ve seen before. With his non stop rhythmic slam poetry prose approach he pops us behind towers and walls and into his shoes for his year spent as Poet in Residence at Grendon Prison. He looks like a normal bloke; far more normal than the bearded, bespectacled, droopy earringed Summertown audience around me. But this can only be a good thing, tired as we are of the overacting thesp types that seem to have been creaking Oxford boards since nobody knows when. And he begins, ensnaring me in the first five minutes with his unrelenting, unforgiving and consistently cleverly delivered account, dropping me off ninety minutes later with newfound opinions on the prison system I never before cared about. The show is based on the poet’s real life experiences working with convicted murderers and sex offenders in a breakthrough programme aimed at rehabilitation through poetry. And yet Larkin gives us more than just his day job- he shows us how fraternising with dangerous takes its toll on his social life, on his dreams, on his whole existence. In a flash his persona morphs from scouse inmate struggling with poetic self-expression, to therapist Dr Angus chatting on the drive home, to Larkin himself, reflecting on his new position: “I’m the Johnny Cash of poetry, I’m walking the f***ing line!”. More than just endlessly quotable, this is a show both minutely thought out and rapidly delivered, oozing with more lyrical jazz than I could soak in on first watch. Refreshingly, this man doesn’t hold back. Rather than the sex and violence, its his candidity which draws the audience in, the abundant anecdotes that keeps us laughing. The laughs are there, but in the next breath we’re thinking, examining ourselves and questioning our own judgement of Larkin’s characters and their incarceration. No feature of his or the prisoners’ lives is left unscrutinised; their past crimes, lost dreams, unspoken sexual frustration. “There’s an elephant in the room”, he muses “And its raping a panda with its trunk”. For lovers of prose or poetry, this is a must. For anyone tired of the snobby Oxford Scene or looking for a story from beyond the student bubble, this is for you too. But the appeal of N.O.N.C.E. is really much wider: you’ll find that, more than just a call to change our approach to prison and punishment, this is a tribute to the spoken word itself, to the power of speech and its innate musicality. http://oxfordtheatrereview.co.uk/reviews/event/TuOugGqQS9aL1iwOXDx6yg Anna Kaznowska at 16:20 on 28th Jan 2012 ***** How refreshing it is sometimes to get smacked in the face with a healthy truism, and this performance, gritty, witty and joyfully self-conscious just kept 'em coming. In N.O.N.C.E., you get that winning combination, usually the domain of comedians like Russell Brand, of biting wit served with a soothing accent; - one that doesn't need to be dressed up in RP or florid language to pack a creative and intellectual punch. The story demonstrates what happens when you cross the murky world of high security prisoners with, (as the implicitly left wing production implies) the perhaps even murkier world of high art, shining a magnifying glass on some uncomfortable truths and blurring the distinction between 'them' and 'us'. It is based on the real life experiences of the performance-poet and Oxford University Lecturer Steve Larkin, an 'underemployed' artist who finds himself teaching the notions of assonance and alliteration to yesteryear's Daily Mail headliners - think 'Man-gets-life-for-eating-own-wife' scenarios, whilst tracking the harrowing effects this has on his own perspectives. In particular, the play explores the issues of retribution and sexuality, the response to a life behind bars, and the uncomfortable parallels between life on the inside and the out. Oh, and I should mention that it is smattered with more than its fair share of brilliant comedy. A powerful thread imbued in the production is Larkin's whole-hearted belief in making poetry that is both vibrant and relevant. On the dramatic front, this piece is a modern tornado of SLAM (an import from the US and basically the poetic equivalent of a rap battle), seen most notably in the scenes in which prisoners recite their own poetry, and a more general narrative prose which remains littered with quirky rhythms and rhyming schemes. The clever interpolation of these contrasting poetic styles and meters, (in part a consequence of Larkin performing all the various characters solo) resulted in a remarkably beautiful sonic experience, something that I hadn't expected, despite Larkin's poetic pedigree. For an hour-long performance consisting solely of one man, an empty stage, and about two and a half sound effects, the impact of this play was immense - the definitive product that is 'more than equal to the sum of its parts'. On a serious level, it was a thoroughly creative and thought provoking experience, and I couldn't think of a more effective response to the sticky issues raised by Larkin's experiences - art remains the most powerful conveyor of a message. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, N.O.N.C.E. Stands for Not.On.Normal.Courtyard.Exercise, that is, prison terminology for the sex offenders at the bottom of the inmates' hierarchy who are denied said pleasure. Slightly tricky to weave into a review, please accept my sincere apologies for not mentioning it until now. http://oxfordtheatrereview.co.uk/reviews/event/TuOugGqQS9aL1iwOXDx6yg Steve Larkin's one man show based on his experiences as poet in residence at HMP Grendon Steve Larkin's N.O.N.C.E. is many things - probably none of which you'll be expecting. With a show title calculated to challenge and a confrontational poster image of a shaven-headed Larkin, mugshot-style, you'd think you were in for a harrowing tale of a criminal and his victims. Instead, take Larkin's dubious hand as he leads you into the complex world of a poet whose day job is to help imprisoned paedophiles and murderers create therapeutic poetry. Observe the boundaries between the day job and the personal life swirl and blur; examine your own ideas and prejudices; marvel at someone brave, committed (and skint) enough to accept one of the toughest arts jobs there is. Steve Larkin is well known to many in Oxford and beyond as a performance poet, musician, co-founder of UK poetry slam network Hammer and Tongue and recent candidate for Oxford University Professor of Poetry. This is lucky, since it's quite a punt to associate oneself so closely with the most strongly despised crime we've got. This risk is personal and professional, as some paediatricians will testify - so let's hope that a clever Oxford crowd will get the 'joke'. (Canadian audiences on his 2011 fringe theatre festival tour certainly seemed to, with the show gathering several 4-star-plus reviews plus positive accolades in the national media.) As Larkin forges through his word-thick tale like a steam train, not missing a beat, the audience must run to keep up, wondering where the journey will end - and whether they'll be different by then. Chances are you won't think you are, til you're snagged by the killer twist - a small, delicious gimmick that flips the world over and starts you thinking all over again. The popular questions surrounding this topic will be familiar to all. Are these criminals evil, or ill? Is it good for them, and/or society, for them to be locked up indefinitely? Is it really therapeutic for them to reengage with the crimes they've committed, even if it is through art? Who makes these judgement calls anyway, and on what basis? Big questions hang in the air as a backdrop, though Larkin doesn't raise them directly, or attempt to answer. And aren't we glad, in the end, that we don't really have to either? It's easy for fringe-style, 1-hour format theatre to be comedic by default in order to put bums on seats. When an artist bucks the trend, it can really have impact - and this show certainly pulls no punches. There is some dark humour (well - sometimes you HAVE to laugh), along with horror moments and strong language, but thankfully the whole is not populated by tasteless 'paedo' jokes or idiot-bashing of those who attack kids' doctors. Instead, it's an hour-long one-man monologue which is insightful, clever and thought-provoking. Quash your revulsion impulse and check it out. Su Jordan (DI Staff), 12/01/12 http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/6284/NONCE Steve Larkin's one man show based on his experiences as poet in residence at HMP Grendon A year spent working with sex offenders and murderers would not be for everyone; I’m sure I couldn’t do it. Having to engage with – possibly even begin to like – someone who has committed the unforgiveable is beyond the comprehension of many. Doing it with the intention of making life better for them rather than their victims seems even stranger; why should anyone want to? Why do they deserve a break? The answer, for many people, is that they don’t. “Lock them up and throw away the key” may be a Daily Mail war cry, but it’s one that many of us can relate to. But here’s the thing: after watching N.O.N.C.E., I’m no longer sure. Suddenly, these people become more human. When someone says that all they have known since childhood is crime, you begin to think they might deserve a break. And, even if they don’t, the rest of society does, and the only successful way of reducing crime is to rehabilitate the offender. That’s where HMP Grendon steps in. It is the United Kingdom's only therapeutic prison community for the treatment of serious sex offenders and violent offenders. Inmates volunteer to go there and they can be voted out at any time by their peers. It is no coincidence that it has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. Larkin opens his one-man show with some background information; he was there because he needed the money, the Arts Council would fund the course if he could recruit enough takers. He struggled to drum up interest and it seemed his efforts were in vain, but at the eleventh hour the men signed up and he got the green light. On the first day prisoners were asked to name their artistic heroes then adopt their names as their own. Consequently, he found himself in a room full of the good and the great: Lennon, Mozart and Dali were there. So was Paul Weller, he turned out to be a great poet; Michelangelo was something of a philosopher. Larkin threw female students into the mix, it seemed to up the ante; the testosterone levels must have been off the scale. At the end of the year, all the “artists” put on a public performance. One of them described it as the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life, adding “…and I’ve killed people.” Steve Larkin will always be Oxford’s Professor of Poetry in my mind. The man is a genius, master of the spoken word, a great performer, hugely talented. There was never a dull moment. The North Wall audience was captivated and the hour just flew by. Judith Davies (DI Reviewer), 30/01/12 http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/6284/NONCE The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford - reviewed by Paul Askew - The Performer: Steve Larkin is a bit of a legend of the Oxford poetry scene. In fact, some would say he’s the reason Oxford has a poetry scene. He set up and ran the infamous Hammer & Tongue night, which has now spread to other cities too, for eight years before backing down to concentrate on his own thing. His own thing being his new one man show, N.O.N.C.E. If the title seems a little confrontational that’s because it’s meant to be. Steve’s never been one to shy away from politics in his poetry, so a show about the year he spent as poet in residence at a prison was certainly going to be no exception. The Concept: a one-man show? Now, I know what some of you might be thinking. Yes, we’ve all seen the art of the one man/modern theatre show parodied so well on Spaced, The Big Lebowski, Family Guy, etc etc. Small theatre shows are generally treated with the same sense of general disdain as self published poetry pamphlets, possibly even more so, so it’s difficult not to approach this without some sense of caution. I’ve seen Steve Larkin perform poetry before, I know how good he is, but a one man theatre show? Really? Yes. Really. The Show: Spoiler alert: This show isn’t just good, it’s really bloody good. The basic storyline is that Steve and a Doctor (whose name I’m afraid I forgot to note) regularly go to HM Grendon to run a poetry workshop for the inmates. At first it appears to be met with a lack of enthusiasm, but as the prisoners who sign up get more into the course, the more the worth of what they’re doing seems. This rise in professional success is offset by a deterioration of Steve’s personal life, creating an interesting dynamic. I’m reluctant to go into much more detail, as the show’s reveals deserve to be kept as such. The Performance: Steve Larkin is a warm and very engaging performer It’s what made him such a good Hammer & Tongue host, so as he (and I’m loathe to use this phrase, but it really does describe it best) takes you on a journey through his year long placement, you go right along with him. It feels like he is talking to you, rather than at you (which in a full theatre is no easy feat). This presentation style is one of the main reasons why N.O.N.C.E. works as well as it does. It is never preachy, hectoring, judgmental or manipulative. Steve Larkin has the faith to just present his events and let the power of what’s happening be what affects us. One of the other main reasons that N.O.N.C.E. succeeds as it does is by repeatedly taking you through Steve’s daily routine. This repetition is a clever trick, setting a framework for us to become quickly familiar with. It puts us in his place. He gets up, goes to work, certain same things happen, he leaves, stays in a B&B, calls his girlfriend, sleeps and dreams. By following this repeated routine, the changes are more highlighted and affecting. We are shown how Steve’s progress with the prisoners was slow to start, and each ‘Eureka’ moment makes us take more notice of it, because it’s outside of the framework. It’s unexpected. The Prisoners: These people are people A large part of the show deals with the interactions between the prisoners and a group of students that Steve is teaching in another job. The bringing together of these groups highlights a slight paradox in the way that the prisoners are taught and treated. These people are people, and when treated as such respond in positive ways and progress is made. Because they are people who’ve committed awful crimes though, they are never to be fully trusted. The interactions with the students highlight this conflict well, and it is a conflict that is never fully resolved. There are a couple of uneasy moments in the Steve’s personal life side of the show, which serve to highlight how easy it could be for any of us to make an error of judgement and end up in the prisoners’ situation ourselves. It’s an uncomfortable feeling to think that you could, in one simple, unthinking moment, end up in the same position as someone in HM Grendon. This is something we haven’t been given a chance to think about before. All the inmates who take part in the workshop are given the names of their heroes. This is said to be to enable them to loosen up and engage in the program, but I suspect it was also done in order to separate each person from their crime, so that by detaching them from what they’ve done they’ve done, they could see them as people rather than monsters. It works for the show too, as that’s the effect it has on the audience. It’s a lot easier for us to root for someone called David Bowie, say, than someone we know as a convicted murderer. It’s another little trick that really works in getting us involved in and sympathetic to the events of the show. Conclusion: Moving, thought-provoking, superb theatre. The ending of the show is superb. Again, I am reluctant to give too much away, but a couple of points are raised which confront us with our general perceptions and habits (both of which, I have to admit, I was guilty of), and this highlights another message of the show. We all have preconceptions, and these can often do a disservice to the people we have them of. For all the uncomfortable moments and uneasy feelings we are given though, N.O.N.C.E. is in the end an affirming and uplifting show. Its messages are positive ones, and they are delivered in a way that makes you think about them long after the show is over. Steve Larkin has created a moving, thought provoking, and, most importantly, a fantastic piece of theatre. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who has a chance to see it. http://sabotagereviews.com/2012/02/27/n-o-n-c-e-steve-larkin/

Some people said some things:

“Steve Larkin, has the facial expressions of Vic Reeves, and often, the blunt quick-wittedness of Frankie Boyle.” spiralearth.co.uk

“You were great!” John Cooper Clarke “Fantastic poetry!” Billy Bragg “The Spoken-Word Guru” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

“Steve Larkin is a poet-philosopher disguised as a club entertainer. Lacing profundity with profanities, deep tracks with cheap gags, he weaves comedy, politics and style to leave audiences laughing thoughtful and infected.” Jim Thomas

“Leeds’ hybrid answer to Spike Milligan and Eminem… Poetry at it’s glittering best.” Vanguard-Online

“Part philosophy, part hysterically funny humour” Nightshift Magazine

“Funny and biting, a pump-action powerhouse on stage” The Edmonton Journal, Canada

“Revolutionary, elocutionary genius makes the occupation of “poet” seem dangerously cool again. It’s a veritable poetry slamdunk!” See Magazine

PRESS PHOTOS

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