Dinner with the Decameron in Salvo's Salumeria

Richard Wilcocks and Gigliola Sulis    Photo: TW

During last year's LitFest, Gigliola Sulis and Richard Wilcocks created an event involving classic Italian food and readings from classic Italian literature, held in that most Italian of venues, Salvo's Salumeria. Then, it was Dante Alighieri. This time, it was Giovanni Boccaccio.

Gigliola Sulis introduced the evening, tapping a wine glass just before the antipasto, stressing from the start that she didn't want to sound like she was giving a lecture (she is Director of Italian and Classics at the University of Leeds) and explaining briefly that Boccaccio is one of the three crowns of Italian literature, the others being Dante and Petrarch, and the principal scholar-writer responsible for the emergence of the standard form of the Italian language. While the main course  (venison, porcini... ) was being prepared, she said a few words about the first story, reading its opening paragraph in Italian. Richard Wilcocks then performed the whole of it in English.

It was the story of the Abbess (IX.2) who rushes out to catch one of her nuns who was reported to be in bed with her lover, but the Abbess herself was with a priest at the time and places his breeches on her head, thinking she is putting her veils there, with the result that when the accused nun sees them and points them out to the Abbess, she is acquitted and from then on is able to spend time with her lover at her leisure. There were belly laughs from those listening, as there must have from the audiences of seven centuries ago.

Statue outside Uffizi Gallery

A longer story followed (V.4), when bellies were full, one which is so well known in Italy that when it is described simply as 'the nightingale' (usignolo) everyone smiles in recognition. Young Ricciardo is passionately in love with the beautiful Caterina, the well-guarded daughter of Messer Lizio da Valbona, and she returns his love. Full of desire, she devises a cunning plan to get to sleep with him: she will complain about the heat in the house and ask her father for permission to spend the night on the balcony, in a curtained bed. Out there in the fresh air, she will be able to hear the nightingale sing. Her grumpy father finally agrees. The idea (you guessed) is that Ricciardo will climb up the outside of the house, using a ladder and some stones jutting out from the wall. The two lovers will be able to fall into each others' arms while the parents sleep. This is what they do, but then...  

At the end of the evening, several people asked which great Italian writer would be chosen for 2016. We don't know yet. Petrarch?


Audience comments:

I really enjoyed it, though I wish I'd known it was going to be more of a meal than a snack as I pre-ate and unfortunately couldn't finish the lovely food! Really liked how Richard brought the readings to life through lively storytelling.  (BJ)

Great food, lovely warm atmosphere and Italian literature. What's not to like? Really appreciate the LitFest putting something on like this that I just wouldn't hear elsewhere. Grazie mille. (RC)

A lovely event. Warm surroundings and interesting, engaging readings. Please repeat last year's event about Dante (or something new)! (PW)

A lovely idea and most successfully carried off. The intercourse tales gave piquant flavour to the delicious Florentine dishes and the speaker and the reader impressed with their fluency and wit. A delightful event and worth repeating.  (PB)

Another great evening. Nice format - meal, time to chat. Ample time on presentation of literature - would have liked more in Italian. English translation delightfully read. V. informative.  (HG)

Great fun. Interesting and evocative works, with which I wasn't previously familiar, very well read. Great food, excellent company. A marvellous way to spend Monday evening.  (PJ)

Molto soddisfatto nella cultura, e il modo in cui e stata impostata, pero una piccola dimostrazione di cucina italiana sarebbe stata molto gradita. (MDV)

Very entertaining - well read and chosen stories accompanied by extremely tasty food. (AL)

A very pleasant evening with interesting stories read from the Decameron. Very entertaining indeed. (DM)

A very pleasant evening: nice authentic Tuscan food and good table-wine. Excellent readings from Boccaccio.  (AEG)

Pleasant supper, well-served and good reading. (JG)

The evening was informative as well as educational, and inspired me to learn more about the work in question, and to read the Decameron/watch a film adaptation. (SG)

Enjoyable evening - nice intro to Decameron - in contrast to last year there was perhaps a little too much English over Italian? But very well read and entertaining. A really nice event with appropriate food.  (RH)

Enjoyable food. Interesting history regarding literature.  (S)

A very well-organised and enjoyable event. A very good idea to link it with a local restaurant.  (AT)

Tuscan themed supper and stories from a book I only know by reputation. Imaginative and tasty! A lovely evening.  (LT)

Combining food from Italy and its literature makes for a perfect evening. Came last year for the Dante evening and both were very enjoyable. Makes me want to read both writers. Thank you.  (CK)

Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere and very entertaining readings. Nice to get a sense of Italian literature without it being too challenging! Thanks very much!  (TK)

A thoroughly enjoyable evening. I learnt something new and the reading was interesting and entertaining. The food at Salvo's was a perfect accompaniment. Will definitely come next year.  (RS)

A brilliant evening - good food and great storytelling, especially the Italian introduction. Also an excellent story-teller. Need I say more?! We'll book next year a.s.a.p.  (TS)

A really enjoyable, intimate setting to hear the stories of The Decameron. The unique setting right here in Leeds helped to bring the stories to life (and the food was INCREDIBLE!)  (AT)

Great food with great poetry. Hearing the original Italian excerpts before the English translation was nice.  (DJ)

Great evening, fantastic partnership between LitFest and the wonderful Salvo's Salumeria. (PM)

A fantastic evening! A great tribute to Boccaccio! Thanks to Salvo's and the organisers of the LitFest. And well read, Richard Wilcocks!  (RWM)

Very well done! Loved the poems! Great food!  (YO)

SO IMPRESSED BY THE TWO FOLK WHO ENTERTAINED US. WE NEED MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS IN HEADINGLEY. (O)

REALLY ENJOYED TONIGHT AND SOME OF THE EARLIER YEAR'S EVENTS. HOWEVER SO MANY EVENTS ARE A BIT TOO 'HIGHBROW' FOR MANY (AND US)
(JO)

Magnetism and Electricity

Laura Cummins writes:
The audience at last night’s ‘Magnetism and Electricity - Magic and Exciting’ were transported back to the awe of discovery incited by electrical experiments, from Michael Faraday to GCSE physics. We were treated to experiments of speaker Geoff Auty’s own devising, including making a 3D magnetic field visible, and understanding the mystery of a magnetic Thomas the Tank Engine train set’s laws of attraction. 

Geoff Auty (centre)                Photo: Sally Bavage

These were made all the more charming by Geoff’s anecdotes on how they came about during his many years teaching, such as the demand for ‘University Challenge’-style buzzers, or the day that having a trough of mercury as a component was decreed unsafe. These simple school experiments demonstrated on a wider scale the importance of practical experiments in the classroom, and the excitement in the underpinning properties of nature that they inspire today, just as they always have done. The night opened with an extract from Frankenstein, and the theme continued as the ‘spark of life’ was explored.


Audience feedback:

I’m a regular, excellent meeting and very diverse.  CW

Great idea to link the Café to the LitFest.  Interesting topic – but beyond my limited understanding.  C.

Good presentation, in a practical sense, aimed more at school science teachers than the usual Café Sci audience.  JB

I felt as though I was 12 years old (1965) at school in a Physics lesson.  Mr Auty was a nicer teacher.  PS

Delightful return to school and ordinary practical things.  HH

Thought-provoking, interesting, practical session with in-depth QA session.  Still think the literary connection is a bit tenuous though.  AW

A fascinating evening of practical science – science in action!  I wish Physics lessons were like this during my youth.  PS

Note: Perhaps this event could have been better advertised at the Heart Centre?  JB

Mark Graham - fantastic raconteur

Mark Graham with beard and book  Photo: Laura Cummins

Laura Cummins writes:
Mark Graham, described in the LitFest programme as ‘Conker Champion of Ireland, All-Ireland Bucket-Singing Champion and the sixth-best bog snorkeler in Ireland’, last night also proved his credentials as a fantastic raconteur. 

His successful attempt to go to three festivals a week in Ireland for a year has furnished him with some of funniest stories you will ever hear, as well as an ability to share his deeper insights into the madness of Ireland’s incredibly varied small festivals. Particularly touching were his thoughts on the stalwart continuation of local festivals despite hard financial times (sound familiar..?), and the positivity and closer ties to his own country that his journey has given him. 

These kinds of moments, tied in seamlessly with stories of the parish priest having a fag while riding his tractor and festivals that are "wonderful and terrible at the same time" made for an absolutely unforgettable evening.

Audience comments:

An entertaining evening with lots of laughing. Insight into the many types of festivals and Irish characters that make them special. The book looks well worth reading. M

Brilliant! Interesting, entertaining and inspiring. I’ve bought the book and will look out for the next. Phil

Very enjoyable. Real life reading at its finest. Ike

Brilliant! The perfect amount of time for someone to speak about a book. Funny and inspiring. Carli

Very interesting look at festivals in Ireland with comedian Mark Graham who was enjoyable and very funny. Some very funny slides as well. Jonathon

Excellent entertainment, will book a holiday in Ireland tomorrow. Anon

A brilliantly entertaining evening. Mark Graham is a consummate raconteur! Bill

Thoroughly enjoyable and different. A very listenable speaker. Ruth

An enjoyable presentation. Much laughter. Anon

Very enjoyable event. Áine

Nice and informal. T

Great! Thanks!!!  Adam

Krapp's Last Tape - Back to Back Beckett

David Robertson                      Photos: Richard Wilcocks

Maddie Mason writes:

As David Robertson began his second scene, taken from Krapp’s Last Tape, the audience was captivated by the introduction of surreal silence. With a lack of speech, the concentration was entirely focused on David’s performance skills.  He captured the character of Krapp as if it were his natural self: watching the beginning of the scene felt like invading someone’s ordinary routine as he appeared to mutter to himself. The effective use of dimmed lighting and the sense of intrusion provoked an intimate atmosphere between David and the audience. Though he used more props to set the scene than he did for From an Abandoned Work, the set remained minimalist which allowed the focus to be maintained upon Krapp and, of course, on the recording coming from the tape player. 

I was vaguely shocked as he started the tape recording and flung the remaining boxes off the table in surprising fury. His interesting use of vintage technology was successful and authentic. In such a small venue it was a remarkable productive feature to project the tapes. Having never seen the play performed before, it was fascinating to watch Krapp listen to tapes of his former self in order to remember and recount his life. 

Mora Grey

In the discussion afterwards, Mora Grey commented that she did not find Beckett’s work entirely depressive: David emulated this argument and told us how he had exaggerated the comedic aspects within the play, especially at the opening of the scene when he demonstrated a cyclical tableau of unlocking his drawer, eating a banana, swigging from a bottle off-stage and repeating. 

David portrayed Krapp as frustrated and slightly exasperated; it was a really interesting, captivating and effective performance and it was a real pleasure to watch.

Mark Taylor-Batty

Charlotte Gray writes:

​As someone who has studied Beckett, I can definitely sympathise with anyone who finds his plays intriguing but frustratingly dense. Back to Back Beckett offered a brilliantly acted and accessible way in to Krapp's Last Tape, which was only enhanced by the informal discussion that followed the performance. 

The panel of speakers included Mora Grey, who recently published a novel based on the experience of staging Beckett's plays, and Mark Taylor-Batty, a Theatre Studies lecturer at the University of Leeds. The varied backgrounds of the panelists allowed for rich and enlightening discussion about Beckett's life and about their personal experiences of his plays.

What I took away the most from the Q&A was a greater appreciation for the detail that goes into staging a Beckett play and the detail that Beckett himself put into his staging. The ability to see Krapp's Last Tape performed and then discuss it afterwards really helped to illuminate both the play and the gripping yet emotional effect it has on its audience. 

Kate Baldwin writes:

Dave Robertson’s performance of Beckett’s From an Abandoned Work was wonderfully dynamic. With no props or set, he managed to convey the turmoil the narrator was going through with brilliant phrasing and animation. The audience seemed to hang on his every word, kept on tenterhooks by the constantly  changing pace, a perfect reflection of the constantly changing mood of the narrator. 

From a hurried rant about birds and butterflies “getting in [his] way”, to a leisurely appreciation of the flora, my attention was continually in David’s grasp: a testament to both Beckett’s talented writing and David's enthralling performance. Even more impressive since I had not yet had my interval cup of tea to perk me up! Not having studied Beckett in depth myself, I found this interpretation a good initiation into the playwright’s work, one that has inspired me to delve further. 

Audience comments:

David at his best. Krapp’s Last Tape mesmerizing. Enjoyed part 1 – amazed that it had been abandoned.

Beautifully performed – thought provoking, life changing! Really enjoyed this event.

Compelling and sensitive performance of unusual and thought provoking material. Thank you David – hope you don’t get indigestion from that banana!

Thrilling introduction to Beckett with wonderful insights.  

Wonderful performance by David, not least his mastery of the tape recorder. Interesting panel discussion and insight into Beckett. Not the most popular of playlets but full of imagery and emotion.

Intense format/performance. Enjoyed the small/intimate/informal setting.

Moving and stimulating excellent performance – most enjoyable.  

Very interesting to see an ‘unknown’ Beckett. Good performance. Krapp’s Last Tape – good to see this extraordinary play. Very good event.

Excellent reading in first half – delightful to hear such a vivid piece, completely unknown. Krapp’s Last Tape beautifully performed.

Very successful production. Very authentic, Dave. With plenty of cause for thought and awareness of time passing moving to present – and then beyond – the human condition – I could see it again.

A wonderful enigmatic performance and wouldn’t really have made as much sense without the discussion and being enlightened about the life of Beckett by Mora Grey.

David Robertson gave good value in the reading from Beckett’s prose piece (rarely performed) and acting Krapp’s last Tape affectingly before a good audience.  

Lovely performances! Thank you for putting this on – first time attending, will be back. Cheers.

First time seeing any performance of works by Beckett. Excellent performance! Of both sections! More likely to go to other LitFest activities because of coming. Thanks!

Very clearly performed – completely absorbing – I felt, as ever with such plays and readings, that it is vital to life – venue good too – cakes Delicious

Not knowing Beckett’s work, I found the discussion thought-provoking ensuring that I reflected back to the performance. In some ways I would have liked to see the play again for I’m sure I would have seen it through new eyes.

Bravo David! The first piece a revelation.

Very engaging, great performances.

Was this actually an abandoned work? That’ll take the shine off their bliss.

Really good acting and a great choice of play. Thank you very much. Great cake also.

Excellent performance – highly enjoyable!

Despite an excellent and heartfelt performance I felt this rendition of SB’s work cured me of ever wanting to hear anything from SB. I felt that a very good performer was struggling with tedious and pretentious verbiage. I’m afraid that this work was unfinished because if it was finished it would ???? The tea and cake was some consolation but afterwards I escaped to the Oxfam bookshop  … to recover.

Red Ladder's musical evening - with Boff Whalley

Red Ladder Theatre Company              Photo: Richard Wilcocks

Laurah Furner writes:
The New Headingley Club played host to a fantastic evening of music performance by Red Ladder Theatre Company last night.  Victoria Brazier, Claire Marie Seddon and Stacey Sampson, with musical direction by Becky Owen, created a vibrant and comfortable atmosphere for the audience, in an intimate and emotionally charged performance of their production, ‘We’re Not Going Back’. The night was packed with flawless harmonies, combined at frequent intervals with brilliant anecdotes on the creative process by the writer of the show, Boff Whalley. 

No costumes were required for this group to create a stunning performance that celebrates the journeys to self-empowerment produced through the 1984/5 miner’s strike with which the play was concerned. Whalley discussed in depth the authenticity which the production aims to exude, and it was certainly this aspect which seemed to touch the hearts of audience members. Highlights included the song ‘This Was War’, and the funeral scene, which achieved an emotional intimacy that had the woman sitting next to me in tears. Whalley observed that ‘It’s not the play, it’s the conversation afterwards that matter’, and it’s this hope to truthfully depict the social upheaval caused by the miner’s strike whilst engaging with the strength of community that left me feeling both humbled and uplifted as I left.

Headingley LitFest is very grateful for the support from Leeds University student volunteers Laura Cummins, Laurah Furner and Serene Leong.

Audience Feedback:

Good to see the spirit of radical theatre is still alive.  Thanks. Great show, lovely actors.     (Tom Burden)

Wonderfully creative and authentic way of bringing real people’s experiences and emotions alive.  Lovely harmony and a nice punchy folk song at the end.     Anon

Marvellous emotive music without being depressing.     Anon

It was very informative and enjoyable.     Anon

Very enjoyable.  Fantastic harmonies and an obvioius passion for the subject.  (Adam Savage)

Wonderfully nuanced way to hear a  story we think we know already.   (Laura Cummins)

Really enjoyed the songs and explanation of the play, having sadly not seen it.  I was born during the Miners’ Strike and have a scar on my neck where a piece of coal spat out of the fire and attached itself to me as I sat in my baby bouncer in our house in Huddersfield (Shepley).  Very moving and enthusiastic cast, hope your funding continues.  (Erica Mitchell)

I’ve waited thirty one years for some humour on the Miners’ Strike.  It’s about time  (DS)

Very good, nice songs and harmonies.  (Angela M)

Yet again Red Ladder produce an authentic beautifully produced interpretation well researched.  Lovely harmonies.   (Richard Howson)

I enjoyed the ‘introduction’ to the play and its songs, interesting to hear how it came together.  Would now love to see the whole thing - which I hope will be round soon!   (Paul Connor)

Wonderfully structured, highly accessible performance, emotionally charged atmosphere of positivity and realism, committed to a truthful depiction of the 1984/5 miners’ strike.   (Laurah Furner)

A very moving and insightful performance.  Touching, funny and informative.  Made me want to see the whole play!  It brought out the human cast and the sometimes unexpected transformations of individuals.  Red Ladder know how to put across an historical political and human condition very effectively.  The company should be supported.  (Marion Purchon)

Warm, witty and thought-provoking.  An education for this southerner.   (Helen Ashman)

A real eye opener and very interesting to learn some local history as a student not from the area.  Thank you!   (Stella Spriggs)

Very good introduction and show by the Red Ladder Theatre company, particularly the songs.  I visited the National Mining Museum near Wakefield a few weeks ago which was very interesting. Nice form by the group afterwards as well.   (Jonathan Fetson)

It was a privilege to see Red Ladder describe the process of their drama and to see them perform and explain the play and the politics.  Brilliant!  (Maggie Burden)

Enjoyed the songs but could do without the rambling commentary.   (Martin)

Extremely engaging.  Moving too.  (Duncan)

Children's Books Question Time

Richard Wilcocks writes:

Zoe, Nicolette Jones, Lucy               Photo: Richard Wilcocks

It was a real pleasure to listen to the breathtakingly fluent and encyclopedic Nicolette Jones this afternoon. A national authority, she knows what she is talking about more than most. It was her second time as a guest of ours: seven years ago she spoke to a LitFest audience about her extensively researched book The Plimsoll Sensation, and made us aware of the nineteenth century campaign led by the MP Samuel Plimsoll against overloaded 'coffin' ships. This time she made us aware of the great wealth of new books written for children, and advised us on making best use of it.

She became a reviewer of books for children on the Sunday Times almost by default: it was decided by the arts editor that a new angle was needed, and she was drafted in, moving on from her position as a respected reviewer of new books for adults. She reminded us towards the beginning of her session of what W H Auden said:

There are good books which are only for adults.
There are no good books which are only for children.

 She is still proving that what he said was absolutely right, which she made clear by making so many enthusiastic recommendations that audience pens and pencils were seldom at rest.
There were all sorts of questions, from the general ("Do you find that today's children are less interested in books than we were?") to the specific ("What books do you suggest for a boy with Nigerian parents who is mad keen on sports and is more interested in computer games than books?") and all of them were answered in great detail, to the full satisfaction of the questioners. Prominent amongst her favoured authors were Shirley Hughes, Eva Ibbotson and Philip Pullman. To chime with the theme of the LitFest, she finished with a reading from Something Else by Kathryn Cave, to our delight.

Mary Francis adds:
Nicolette talked about Northern Lights, the first volume in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Apparently, it is now twenty years old: there is a piece in the Guardian (see link) and an opportunity to win a twentieth anniversary edition of the trilogy … as long as you are aged between seven and eighteen. Or if you enter on behalf of a child ….
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/mar/09/philip-pullman-10-magical-quotes-his-dark-materials-anniversary

Audience Feedback:
 I liked it when Nicolette Jones read a book out loud called Something Else and she helped us with books for recommendation. I enjoyed it thoroughly. (Girl aged 9)

First-class presentation and responses from Nicolette Jones. A good range of queries answered with a wealth of intimate knowledge. A very fluent and eloquent performance, obviously popular with a good audience.

Excellent! - and great cake! 

I’m not a mum or involved with many children but found the presentation v. interesting.  I could relate to my own experiences as a child.       

Absolutely excellent!  Nicky gave lots of valuable tips and information.  A fantastic and articulate speaker.  Thankyou!   

Very well informed and encouraging – infectious enthusiasm.  Fun!      

A most interesting and informative session – I learned a great deal.  What a world of information Nicolette Jones brought before us!  Good presentation too.    

Very informative. Wonderful to have such an authority on Children’s Books in the room.  For a first time self publisher her insights were very valuable.    

Very informative and clear presentation.  I could have spent more time listening to Nicolette and look forward to her return.  Many thanks.     

 

Great event!  Lots of info! V. interesting.  Loved the book reading – more of that would keep children interested?  Shame more children didn’t attend.     

Lovely chat, good ideas, nice to have café seating and refreshments.  More please.  

 

A delightful informative discussion on contemporary children’s lit.  Full of charm and relevant information and useful tips.     

Brilliant!  Thank you.  Useful, entertaining, educative... tea and cake appreciated.

Event was very informative.  Ms Jones was charming, engaging and very helpful. 

Very enjoyable – thank you!  Glad I took notes of most of the titles to check out later. Not enough time for questions.      

Charming speaker, very informative, lots of good suggestions.    

An excellent event, very informative, with some interesting questions and answers fromn Nicolette (although couldn’t hear clearly everything she was saying).  Good venue, lovely cake.   

Made me realise how old my children are – good to hear about contemporary writers. 

Absolutely terrific!  Nicolette Jones was so knowledgeable and informative.  Clear concise and so so useful.  I liked the Q&A format.  V. entertaining, and well worth repeating.