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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Ages and Stages
— the place of theatre in the lives of older people | | Author(s) | Miriam Bernard, Michelle Rickett, David Amigoni |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 35, no 6, July 2015 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, July 2015 |
| Pages | pp 1119-1145 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Drama ; Memory and Reminiscence ; Participation ; Projects ; Newcastle-under-Lyme. |
| Annotation | Despite the growing interest amongst gerontologists and literary and cultural scholars alike in arts participation and the artistic outputs of older people, comparatively little attention has yet been paid to theatre and drama. Likewise, community or participatory theatre has long been used to address issues affecting marginalised or excluded groups, but it is a presently under-utilised medium for exploring ageing or for conveying positive messages about growing older. This paper uses a detailed case study of the place of one particular theatre - the Victoria/New Victoria Theatre in North Staffordshire - in the lives of older people. It provides an overview of the interdisciplinary Ages and Stages project which brought together social gerontologists, humanities scholars, psychologists, anthropologists and theatre practitioners. It presents findings from: the archival and empirical work exploring the Theatre's pioneering social documentaries and its archive; individual, couple and group interviews with older people involved with the Theatre (as audience members, volunteers, employees and sources); and ethnographic data gathered throughout the study. The findings reaffirm the continuing need to challenge stereotypes that the capacity for creativity and participation in later life unavoidably and inevitably declines. The finding also show how participation in creative and voluntary activities shapes meanings associated with key life transitions such as bereavement and retirement. The study emphasises the positive role that theatre and drama can play as a medium for the inclusion of both older and younger people. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-150626011 A |
| Classmark | HKD: DB: TMB: 3E: 8STH |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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