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Spoken word poet and actor Kyle Hernandez will be launching a new monthly series called Tuff Crowd. The first show in the series will take place on February 21 at the Writers Centre, 14 Alcazar Street, Port-of-Spain.

Hernandez said the series is dubbed the country’s first Anti-Open Mic, and will function as a “safe space to hate.” He explained the concept as providing support for aspiring poets. “If you attend any open mic in Trinbago, you’ll find the amateur performer crippled by anxiety and the egotistical idiot who’s just as painful to watch. Both are convinced they are doing a good job by a discontented audience that’s too polite to tell the truth. Tuff Crowd wants to fix that by placing the focus on the art and the audience. Unlike open mics, Tuff Crowd provides a panel of industry professionals to give genuine feedback on each performance. The patrons will also have an opportunity to critique the artist candidly in their role as professional audience members, all for the sake of artistic growth and honesty.”

Hernandez is a teaching artist with the 2 Cents Movement, an actor with the dramatic group TenOfUs, and is a self-described absurdist. He has placed in the top three of the First Citizens National Poetry Slam for the last three years. He has also acted in movies such as Back to Freeport and Grace and Saleem, currently in production.

Hernandez said while anyone can register, there are only 10 performance slots per show. “The Tuff Crowd team decides who gets the slots. It is recommended that semi-professional and professional performance artists apply since the show will not supply the type of coddling and support an amateur artist needs. After all it’s a Tuff Crowd.”

Registration costs $20. Tickets cost $65. Show starts at 7 pm. For more information, call 272-7246 and find @tuffcrowdtt on Twitter and Instagram.