Canada’s best performance poets show us their strongest two and three minute poems to decide who will advance to finals. These Day Two bouts at  Havana Theatre are two of eight preliminary competitions that take place on Thursday and Friday nights here and at Cafe Deux Soleils during Verses Festival. The scores from these eight bouts determine the twelve poets who move on to compete in the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship (CIPS) final match on Saturday night.

All poetry performances on the stage are judged by volunteer audience members. That’s what make this poetry game so great. Which means we need you!

(Bouts 5 and 7 take place at Cafe Deux Soleils down the street at the same time as  these bouts at Havana Theatre)

BOUT 6 / Doors 6 pm / Show 6:30 pm / Havana Theatre

BOUT 8 / Doors 8 pm / Show 8:30 pm / Havana Theatre

Note the 6:30 start. Doors at 6. Get there early!

Advance tickets for this night (both bouts included) are available for $8 on Brown Paper Tickets here.

Or $10 at the door, cash only.
Admission to this event is included in your Verses Festival Pass but get there early to get a seat!
Verses 2018 Early Bird Passes are available at Brown Paper Tickets here until April 10.

This event is a scent-reduced space. To assist us in our goal of increased access, please be aware of our attempt to reduce the impact of personal scented products (perfumes, scented oils, etc) in our festival spaces.

Accessibility Info for Havana Theatre:

Havana Theatre is a mostly accessible venue. To reach the theatre, you must pass through the restaurant to the gallery space. On the right, is a black door leading into the theatre. There is a narrow hallway and two doors to access the performance space. This narrow hallway is possible for wheelchairs to pass through, but can be difficult for larger scooters to maneuver. There are no stairs. Washrooms are located at the end of a hallway which is maneuverable but also narrow.

BOUT 6: (order of draw only; order on stage drawn before bout on Friday, April 27)
Lady Vanessa Cardona
Siling Zhang
Rosalie Fralick
Lip Balm
Johnny Trinh
John Chamelion
Slamapalooza Rep
Spillious
E.J.

BOUT 8: (order of draw only; order on stage drawn before bout on Friday, April 27)
Michelle Hillyard
Luke Reece
Yanni van de Pant
Leslie Stark
Julia Pileggi
Michelle Grove
Lindsey Olver
Ashley Laframboise