Browse “Arts Organizations”

September 20, 2022

Freie Werkstatt Theater: Althentheatre Older Adult Theatre Ensemble (Germany)

Altentheater in Cologne, Germany, started in 1979 as one of the earliest theater groups for older people in Europe. It is part of the Freie Werkstatt Theater, a professional company that performs literary works and works that involve performers of all ages.

The actor-members of the Altentheater, who are usually in their mid-60s to mid-90s, co-create productions based on their personal histories. They tour all over Germany and beyond to perform for audiences of all ages. Members have built strong ties with one another; for some, Altentheater is a second family.

September 20, 2022

Re-Live: The Company of Elders Acting Ensemble (U.K.)

The Company of Elders (Cardiff, Wales) is an acting ensemble developed by Re-Live, a Welsh Arts in Health non-profit in Cardiff, Wales (U.K.). It is made up of older adults, ages 71-95, who develop and perform original theater based on their own lives. The company illustrates how the practice of creating theatre together forges a special bond. Even when geographically isolated during the pandemic, the group was able to co-create new plays based on their experiences.

Two of the company’s most visible productions are “Constellations/Cytserau,” a “celebratory life-story performance about loneliness and belonging in a hyper-connected world,” and “Secret Country,” an exploration of isolation as experienced by the company members. The honesty, humor and creativity of Company members make this digital dialogue a fascinating glimpse of what it is to cope with long periods of isolation.

September 20, 2022

The Elders Company of the Royal Exchange Theatre (U.K.)

The Elders Company of the Royal Exchange Theatre (Manchester, UK), started in 2014 to engage “people aged 60+ who want to feel connected to new people and ideas, be creative and challenge the stereotypes of ageing.”

Each year 20 people are recruited to the company. They take part in a year-long training program to develop performance skills, learn more about theater, and work with the theater’s Young Company. The Elders Company members assist in the creation of three special projects during the year. In 2019, they created, “A Funny Thing Happened in Isolation,” a documentary that followed a local theater group as they tackled lockdown. Members have been enthusiastic about their participation, especially the chance to learn and grow creatively.

September 20, 2022

GeriActors & Friends Intergenerational Theater Company (Canada)

GeriActors & Friends (Edmonton, Canada) is an intergenerational theater company organized by a group of older people seeking ways to become involved with theater. Through instructional lessons led by a professor of Theater Arts at the University of Alberta, participants with little to no acting experience learned how to write and perform short plays based on actual experiences. They later became more improvisation-based and involved university students. One company member reflected on the group’s intergenerational approach: “To have people from different generations come together and build something, to belong, to pick lines and change lines, it’s like nothing else.”

During COVID-19, GeriActors & Friends developed audio plays, or “AudioGeris,” as a new way to share stories and connect with audiences. Beyond their regular performances and audio plays, GeriActors & Friends also provides weekly workshops for other older adults.

September 20, 2022

Theater 55 Performs, “HAIR: By Those Who Lived It!”

Theater 55 was founded in Minneapolis, MN in 2018 by Richard Hitchler, an actor and director who realized that, “there really weren’t opportunities available for people over 65 interested in theater.” The Company’s first production in 2019 was “HAIR: By Those Who Lived It!”. Subsequent performances were equally iconic, including “Jesus Christ Superstar.” According to Ed Friedman, former Executive Director of Lifetime Arts, “There is a resonance in the performance of actors with the lived experience of people bringing to life a cultural milestone in our country.” The members of Theatre 55 have been enthusiastic about their participation in major performances.

September 20, 2022

Leeds Playhouse Supports Theater Initiatives by and for Older Adults in the U.K.

The U.K.-based theatre organization, Leeds Playhouse, developed and supports two theater initiatives by and for older adults; one a peer-led group and the other a professionally-led company.

The Feeling Good Theater Company creates and tours original productions to local communities, festivals and conferences. The group’s goals are: “to challenge stereotypes and share positive stories of ageing, reflecting the experiences of older people.”

The Performance Ensemble is a company of older performers with a range of theatrical experience and from diverse cultural traditions. With a professional director they create “high quality contemporary performances with people over 60, from their own life experiences, hopes, and fears, for audiences of all ages.”

September 20, 2022

Glorious Age: Entelechy Arts’ Older Adult Theatre Company (U.K.)

Entelechy Arts Older Adult Drama Group, “Glorious Age” in South East London (UK) was formed nearly two decades ago by a group of older people living in South East London who discovered that they shared an interest in theater. With support from a local art center, Entelechy Arts, they focused on creating performances in public spaces about “the many stories that go unheard, the many lives that are unrecognized.”

One of the Group’s earliest productions was “Bed,” a street performance designed to “make a statement about the invisibility they felt when going about their lives in public places.” Bed toured shopping centers, festivals, high streets and conferences around the UK. In 2018, actors from the Saitama Arts Theater in Japan performed Bed at the World Gold Theater Festival in Tokyo. A new partnership between Glorious Age and Okayama, Japan-based theater company, OiBokkeShi, was recently announced. It has helped to raise new questions about what “theater” is, and where and how it should occur.

July 14, 2022

Untapped Opportunity: Older Americans & the Arts

From the report by Culture Track and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy:

In just a few years, and for the first time in history, Americans age 65 and older will outnumber those under 18. Older adults today are healthier and more financially secure than ever before. And contrary to popular belief, the vast majority remain independent and cognitively fit well into their 80s and beyond. The corrosive ageism that permeates our culture leads us to see older people as “other,” but it turns out that older and younger adults want the same things from life: we all have a deep desire to have fun, to connect meaningfully with others, to create and to learn.

This groundbreaking Culture Track report provides new data on people over 55 years of age. Importantly, it reveals older adults’ priorities in engaging with the arts: opportunities to belong, to learn something new and to feel a sense of accomplishment. The findings in this report align with E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s $20 million commitment to support creative aging programs in more than 100 organizations over the past decade. It’s time to change the narrative around aging.

This report challenges arts and cultural organizations to recognize something that has been hiding in plain sight—an enormous opportunity to develop and deliver quality programs of relevance to the fastest growing segment of our society. We are grateful to the Culture Track research team for their expert analysis and for the many institutions working nationwide to offer cultural enrichment to older Americans.

May 11, 2022

Mastering the Art of Teaching Adults

This video, created by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, dives into the importance of the teaching artist, and how they foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment in delivering sequential and instructional creative aging programs.

The following interviewees are featured in the video:

Maura O’Malley, Lifetime Arts’ CEO/Co-Founder
Celeste Pechous, Teaching Artist
Helen Dilworth, Teaching Artist
Maureen Kellen-Taylor, Teaching Artist

May 11, 2022

“Peace 4 the Ages” Forges Intergenerational Bonds During COVID-19

In the beginning of 2020, Michael Matthew Ferrell, founder of Alive & Kickin, a touring vocal ensemble of older adults “who rock,” collaborated with Sandy Boren-Barett, the CEO and Artistic Director of Stages Theatre Company, an educational theatre program for children and youth, to create the intergenerational music program, “Peace 4 the Ages.”

COVID-19 forced the team to reconsider how to culminate this series when a live, in-person event no longer made sense. They determined that it would be best to produce a performance video to retain the connection between students, and give them a sense of collective accomplishment. As Michael and Sandy moved the program forward remotely, they also planned a socially-distanced, outdoor live performance in October 2020 once quarantine protocols lifted. Read on to learn more about their experience during the program and how it forged intergenerational bonds between the students.