From 25th –31st July 2009, The Y Theatre was transformed into a unique performance space celebrating the power of live literature – as part of the cultural programme for the Special Olympics.

Around 1300 people attended the Lyric Lounge festival, which featured workshops, performances, debate, open mic opportunities and exhibitions. The focus was on poetry, spoken word, rap and monologue, with strong elements of visual art and music.

The Lyric Lounge included a wide-reaching youth programme, encouraging young people to read, write and perform. The project also reached out to users of mental health and learning disability services, with a range of projects and performances.

Another prominent feature of the festival was the use of museum artifacts to inspire new poetry and spoken word material. 2Funky Arts managed and publicised these events, with programming from WORD and direction from Writing East Midlands.

The Lyric Lounge was funded by a range of partners, including Renaissance East Midlands and Arts Council England.