Changing Times
The theme for the 2017 festival was Changing Times. As part of this theme, SO: To Speak Festival awarded two commissions of £500 each to local writers, supporting new work that explored the theme through spoken word, poetry, and performance.
Damian O'Vitch
Damian O'Vitch is a Southampton-based writer and musician whose work blends words and music. His commission explored the Changing Times theme through original spoken word and song.
Matt LT Smith
Matt LT Smith is a local writer and performer. His commissioned piece responded to the Changing Times theme, bringing a distinctive voice to the festival programme.
Jane Austen and the Waterman
A specially commissioned musical titled Jane Austen and the Waterman was performed on Sunday 22nd October at The Dolphin Hotel. The production marked a highlight of the festival's heritage programming, tying Southampton's literary history into the Changing Times theme.
The SO: To Speak Festival has long championed the creation of new literary work through its commission programme, offering writers the opportunity to develop original pieces that respond to a chosen annual theme. These commissions provide financial support and a platform for local voices to explore ideas through spoken word, poetry, and performance. By investing directly in writers and performers based in and around Southampton, the festival ensures that its programme remains rooted in the community it serves. Each commissioned piece is presented as part of the festival lineup, giving audiences the chance to experience fresh, site-specific work that reflects the character and concerns of the region.
The Changing Times theme that guided one edition of the festival invited writers to reflect on transition, memory, and transformation in their commissioned work. Artists responded by blending music with spoken word, weaving together personal narrative and broader social observation. These commissions demonstrate how the festival encourages experimentation across forms, allowing writers to move beyond the page and onto the stage. The resulting performances often take place in intimate venues across the city, from libraries to cafés to theatres, creating direct connections between the artist and the audience. This model of supported creation has become a valued part of the festival's identity.
Beyond the commission programme, the festival offers workshops, talks, and open-stage events that nurture writers at every stage of their journey. Participants can learn from established authors, share their own work in supportive settings, and discover new approaches to storytelling. The festival's commitment to spoken word and live literature means that writing is treated not just as a solitary craft but as a shared, public experience. Across a month of events in Southampton, the programme brings together poets, storytellers, comedians, and performers, creating a celebration of words that invites everyone to take part, whether as listener or creator.