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Raising the Curtain on Senior Theater
Creativity, activity and camaraderie are just some of its benefits
[originally published on NextAvenue.org, January 15, 2020]
Last November, Ed Harris, 69, took over the role of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway; his predecessor, Jeff Daniels, is 64. Andre De Shields, 73, won a Tony Award in 2019 for his role in the Broadway musical Hadestown. And previous Tony Award winner Glenda Jackson played King Lear on Broadway at 83.
While all of these actors have been on stage for most of their lives, if you are looking to cultivate a new passion, why not consider senior theater? It’s an activity that exercises both body and mind, promotes creativity and encourages camaraderie. Even if you’ve never set foot on a stage before, there is a place for you.
What Is Senior Theater?
In senior theater, people over age 55 perform, direct or work backstage, using material that reflects their experiences of being older. Senior theater is found in a variety of venues including retirement centers, community theaters, amateur theater groups and even professional theater companies. These theaters produce plays, musicals, skits and monologues; many of them offer “readers theater” (more on that below).
Participants bring a wide range of theater experience: amateurs who have never performed before, seasoned community theater veterans and professional actors. Many times, the directors of senior theater groups are older adults themselves. What they have in common is a love of the art form.
“Senior theater is a great way to connect to your peers, socialize, move your body, meet new people, find similar interests and simply have fun,” says Richard Hitchler, 54, founding artistic director of Theatre 55 in St. Paul, Minn.
Theatre 55 launched in February 2019 with a production of Hair (performed by “those who lived it,” said Hitchler in “A Return to the Age of Aquarius” on Next Avenue last year). Since then, the company has mounted a production of Pippin, A Mid-Life Crisis, with Urinetown: The Musical.
Accommodations for Challenges
