Shawonna Wynn has scary intensity. The way she expresses her thoughts when she gets going is poetry itself— staccato blasts of emotion tied into paragraphs. Her books and YouTube videos draw you into a world of energy and life experience. Exciting to read, seeing her words acted out with a cast and backed by a band, will be something on another level. When Wynn brings her multimedia performance, “Simply Shawonna: She’s Out the Box” to the Ohio Theater Sunday, November 13, you should be in the audience.
We talked with Wynn and gathered some background on this Toledo native and how she finds the words that inspire, encourage and liberate us.
Why is it called “Simply Shawonna: She’s Out The Box”?
When you’re growing as an artist, sometimes they say ‘find your genre, find your niche, what are you good at, where’s your expertise?’ And it seems like I’m all over the place, from one extreme to the other. I say, “Simply Shawonna” because everything about me is anything but simple.
“She’s Out The Box” is being able to experience the freedom of who you are, because so many people get stuck in trying to conform (themselves) to society or what any specific group thinks. But when you close yourself in like that, you’re not able to grow. I’ve been trapped like that before, but you have to allow yourself to flourish and grow, to be who you are, to experience the fullness of yourself. She’s ‘Out The Box’ because you cannot contain me, you cannot stop me, you cannot hinder me, you cannot hold me back. I’m here to encourage and inspire you and empower you to take on that same energy and experience the fullness of your life.
When you say Simply Shawonna is multimedia what do you mean?
The Ohio Theater has a projector, so we’re going to do a stage production— it’s gonna have a live band, live actors and actresses, we will have some pre-recorded things so the projector will be in play too. (Basically, the show will switch between live action and pre-recorded elements, creating a multimedia element).
Where did the idea to do this come from?
I started writing a few years back and I have a poetry book and its purpose is to aim beyond. It’s a collection of poetry, so the idea is to take a lot of the poems from that book and bring (them) to life. It’s kind of like taking the words from your mind and putting them on paper. And then, once they’re on paper, it’s time to start projecting them through voice and then to bring in a visual way to share. That’s the short version of it.
How did you get involved with the Ohio Theater?
I really wanted to make sure I did something here to stay connected with the community. I know it’s a historical place, I know it has great value in the area; it’s an easy place to get to, the renovations have been going really well and the staff is really cool. I’ve been really grateful and excited about that.
You grew up in Toledo?
Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. Graduated from Rogers High School. I left Toledo in ‘99 and moved to Georgia. And I’m back here now. I’m doing my production.
What brought you back?
My family. And then with the production, we have a full band, background singers, actors, actresses, and choreography. I come from a large and talented family. I decided that before I auditioned a bunch of people I may not know to try to take this large production on the road, I wanted to work with people that I know and am related to, so that we could all experience this and grow together. That’s one of my angles. We have a lot of great people in this city. It wasn’t about leaving here and staying gone— stretching out and never coming back. I left here and grew up and become strong in who I was and what I am doing. And now I can share what I have with others willing to be a part of it.
Where do you get the ideas for your poetry?
Life. Whether it’s my experiences or others experiencing things. Joys, pains, conquering challenges, overcoming obstacles, experiencing victories, persevering through your own struggles as well as the judgments that others try to put on you. You know how they say you have to be your own inspirer— you’ve gotta find that strength and persevere through it.
How did you get involved with poetry writing?
Prayer. I’m a spiritual person, but not necessarily religious. I do believe. I remember praying to find my purpose and I remember hearing words. I could literally start hearing the words. At first, I could hear one or two, and then I started writing them down and it turned into full pieces. It might turn into a song, it might turn into a full chapter, it might turn into a book idea or a production concept.
What should people expect at the performance?
Expect to be surprised! Expect great energy. Expect inspiration. Expect empowerment. Expect to be able to laugh. Expect to be able to dance. Expect to be able to interact. We have some things for audience participation. Be encouraged to know that the stigmas in our lives, whether it’s age, weight, color, we don’t have to be held back by them. As long as you have life, you can push forward with it. That’s what I hope people will experience.
7pm | Sunday | November 13 | $15
Ohio Theater | 3114 LaGrange St.
419-255-8406 | simplyshawonna.com
