Tooting Poetry Night: Suli Breaks at House of Ora, 23 Sept

An American open mic night that says it stages more than 150 shows a year is coming to Tooting for one night. Write About Now Poetry brings the spoken word artist Suli Breaks to House of Ora on Mitcham Road on Wednesday 23 September, and the second half of the bill is whoever signs up at the door.

The company sent us the details this week, with Amir Safi as the media contact on the announcement. The pitch is that an American show is being exported whole: the featured poet, the host, the DJ and the signup sheet, dropped into a room in SW17 for one evening.

Here is what has been published, from the event listing and the announcement sent to us:

• Wednesday 23 September at House of Ora, 48A Mitcham Road, SW17 9NA
• Doors 7.30pm, show from 8pm “or earlier”, listed as running to 10.30pm
• Featuring Suli Breaks, hosted by Woodzy, sounds by DJ Eames
• Open mic signups when doors open, first come, first served
• Tickets £22.38 presale or £31.05, both including the booking fee, and no refunds
• A full cash bar and a food menu, with every ticket holder guaranteed a seat

The open mic is the part worth knowing about

The featured name sells the ticket, but the format is the reason a local poet might care. Signups are taken on the night rather than in advance. “Signup starts as soon as doors open at 7:30 pm,” the listing says, and seating is general admission throughout, so the room is not split between performers and audience.

Write About Now says the London show “will combine featured performances with Write About Now’s signature high-energy open mic, inviting London poets as well as an international poetry community to take the stage”. Its listing describes the night as “the preferred destination of poetry for thousands of individuals each year” and claims recognition as the best open mic in the United States.

Those are the organiser’s own words for its own show, and we have not tried to referee them. The checkable parts are the ones above: a date, a door time, a price and a signup that costs nothing extra.

Write About Now also says it was founded in Houston, produces more than 150 live shows a year across major American cities, and has more than two million followers across social media. We could not independently confirm those figures.

The announcement calls Suli Breaks a British spoken word artist. The listing describes him as “internationally acclaimed” and says his work explores “themes of identity, purpose, love, and social change”.

What House of Ora is

House of Ora is not a theatre or a pub back room. It describes itself on its own site as a place built to “create spaces where culture moves in real time”, curating music, art, fashion and community events, and it lists DJ sets, live theatre, exhibitions, pop-ups and private dining among what it hosts.

The council’s own visitor listing for the venue on Welcome to Wandsworth calls it “a cultural hub offering everything from late-night DJ sets to live music, art and photography exhibitions focused on bringing the wider community together through music, art and culture”, with a licensed bar, exhibition space, dance floor, stage and lights.

Getting there

The nearest station is Tooting Broadway on the Northern line. Transport for London’s stop point data puts it 245 metres from the venue’s postcode, which is the only Underground station within 700 metres. The organisers put it at “about a 4 minute walk from the Tube station”.

On parking, the listing tells ticket holders there is “plenty of free street parking after 6:30 pm on Sellincourt Road, Gatton Road and Longley Road”, with Sainsbury’s three to five minutes away and Broadway Market Car Park six to eight minutes away. That is the organiser’s description rather than the council’s. Wandsworth is an on-street borough where the hours on the sign plate decide whether you get a ticket, so read the plate on the night. Our guide to parking in Wandsworth sets out the tariffs and the zone rules.

What it means for you

If you write, this is a stage you can get on for the price of admission, on a Wednesday, in Tooting. Turn up for 7.30pm rather than 8pm, because the signup opens with the doors and it is first come, first served.

If you are going to watch, buy before the night. Presale is £22.38 against £31.05 for the standard ticket, sales close on the day of the show, and the organiser’s refund policy is a flat “no refunds”, so a change of plan costs you the ticket.

Either way it is a single night, not a residency. The other shows on Write About Now’s own list are in Houston, Chicago, New Orleans and Dallas. More events in the borough are in our guide to things to do in Wandsworth.

Running an event in Wandsworth? Tell us about it and we will list it. Email hello@wandsworthnews.co.uk.