World’s first door-to-door poet visits the Merlin

Coming to the Merlin Theatre on 21st April, is Rowan McCabe’s latest show, Door-to-Door Poetry: Nationwide, charting his adventures around the country as a loveable eccentric.

Rowan is the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet. Knocking on strangers’ doors, he asks what is important to them; he then goes away and writes a poem about this, free of charge, before bringing it back and performing it on their doorstep. It’s a project that’s been covered by the Guardian, BBC Breakfast and was named ‘Best of Today’ on Radio 4.

In March 2019, Rowan set out to visit 12 locations across England, one every month. Through this bold and arguably stupid act, he was trying to find out what matters to people, what is the state of our nation, and if strangers are really as scary as they’re made out to be. But as March 2020 approached, world events pushed the project in a very different direction…

Rowan explains, “It’s a mixture of theatre and spoken word about my final outing as a Door-to-Door Poet. A lot of it is funny, but some parts are a bit more shocking. It’s about trying to finish the project in the build-up to the pandemic. It’s about class and community and I’m hoping it provokes a wider discussion about our relationship with the people around us.”

Door-to-Door Poetry: Nationwide comes to Frome Merlin Theatre on 21st April. The show is written and performed by Rowan McCabe and directed by Peader Kirk (No More Worries, Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair).

Find out more about Rowan at, www.doortodoorpoetry.com

Pictured: Rowan McCabe picturesbybish.com-108.