Wired Coffee Launches Open Mic Series With a Twist

Are you a writer or performer looking to test your material in front of a live audience? Wired Coffee recently introduced a weekly open mic series for those who want just a few minutes in the spotlight.

“Saturday Night Live” came to the Sunset Hills café the first week of January. Director and producer Kimberley Hughes oversees the performers—and puts a special twist on the end of each show. Performers are asked to stay on hand for the last 20 minutes to participate in a scene specially prepared by Hughes over the course of the evening.

Don’t have experience? Don’t worry—those are her favorite type of performers.

“That’s where the real talent is. Because they’re reading their poetry they have a performance instinct so they can do it, but they don’t already have the self-awareness, so they’re very fun to watch and fun to work with. There’s a confidence about them," she said.

The Kirkwood resident, who is a regular fixture at Maplewood’s Stone Spiral for open mics, believes these types of performances are due for a surge of popularity.

“I think people are looking for new venues to go and watch talented people, talk about stuff that’s going on today…. There aren’t any new plays that really touch on what’s going on now. If you go into a poetry reading they’re right there in front of you. A lot of it is written originally so they’re expressing right in the moment. I think people are dying to come and watch that kind of stuff, so that’s why it’s fresh.”

Anyone interested in jumping onstage should show up to the cafe by 8 p.m. on Saturday evenings. Each performer gets eight minutes. 

Next week learn more about how the series got started, and Hughes' vision for where it's going. Subscribe to our daily newsletter to get these updates delivered straight to your inbox!