Bonnie's Column: Use Professionals to spruce up your graphics!

Suzi's flyers help draw crowds to The Vagabond Players

When I met Ted Fuller at the Senior Theatre Festival in Las Vegas, I knew I had met one of the finest people in the field. Since then, I've worked with Ted as we sell many copies of his book, Seniors Acting Up, a very popular collection of plays for mature actors. Ted and I stay in contact, not as much as I'd like, but he always keeps me informed of his progress and that of the Vagabond Players.

The group, which was formed in 2005, had the good fortune to cast Suzi Wolfe. She was not only a fine performer, but a professional graphic artist. In no time at all, Suzi designed, then persuaded her printer to produce 400 programs for the group's first play, The Silver Whistle. It included brief bios of the performers, and impressed the retirement community, senior center and other older adult audiences with its slick professional look. Now, four productions later, the company sends flyers anywhere they'll be performing to help publicize the shows. Their attendance grows with each performance. 

The company has been rewarded. They recently received a two-year $50,000 grant from the Dean Lesher Foundation for Suzi's services and to produce large quantities of fliers, programs and brochures. 

It's example of what I have encouraged for years: 

It pays to pay for professional graphics!

Bonnie L. Vorenberg, ArtAge Publications, President

Click here to read more about the Vagabond Players

Performances, like this one from the Encore Players, will highlight the upcoming Senior Theatre Festival

Got something to share? Consider leading a workshop at the upcoming 2006 Senior Theatre Festival on October 4-7 in St. Louis at the Millennium Hotel. The Senior Theatre Festival is a chance for Senior Theatre groups and individuals to share ideas, improve their craft and learn more about the field. 

We welcome you to share the innovative techniques  that have been successful for you or your company. Please, send in a workshop proposal! 

Morning workshops are 45 minutes long and should be geared toward either performers, directors/playwrights, or company directors/administrators. No more than 15 minutes should be lecture because the delegates want to be up and doing. Possible topics for these workshops are readers theatre, memorization techniques, learning and social styles, improvisation as a rehearsal tool, funding, inexpensive costuming techniques, and....well, you get the idea. 

Afternoon workshops are 2 hours, 45 minutes long for in-depth exploration, experimentation, active participation, and creation of a 'product' within one of the following areas: life writing/oral history, musical theatre, living history, mixed media, intergenerational theatre, improvisation, and political/social theatre.

The works created in the afternoon sessions will be shared with the entire delegation.

Hurry, don't delay, send in your proposal today!

Contact Tracy Macmorine at (513) 421-3900 for more information.

I read this description that Joy Reilly wrote about the workshops last year and wanted to share it all with you. Read it and you'll find yourself booking a ticket to Columbus!

I worked closely with seniors for almost twenty years, with Grandparents Living Theatre in the 1980's and 1990's writing and creating original plays and musicals from oral history. For another ten years I taught seminars to show elders how to write down their own stories. Now, as the Artistic Director of Howling at the Moon, I work with seven fascinating and talented women who write and perform their own stories through the technique we have developed and published in our new book, Age on Stage: Lifewriting Your Monologue.

Last summer my colleague, Dr. Alan Woods, and I developed the first graduate programs in Senior Theatre in the country. We want to teach young people how to interact with older people and enrich their lives through theatre. Despite my long-time practical experience working with seniors, this seminar was mind-blowing. It turned out to be richest mingling of students I ever experienced. It showed me that creativity can be nurtured at every age. We were all enriched by the sharing between ages and experience, youthful energy, storytelling, and creativity.

It was the extraordinary mix of students, volunteers and guest artists, ranging in age from 21 to late 80's that made this experience so much richer than I ever suspected. There were nine regular students enrolled in the afternoon seminar: two undergraduate theatre majors, one serviceman who recently returned from the Middle East, and one who works with at risk teenagers, a doctoral student in theatre from Illinois, a theatre alumnus with an MFA in directing, a doctoral student in OSU's education program who is a professional storyteller, a Polish graduate student in social work, and an Asian American student working on an MA in dance and some retired seniors.

For the second week of the class I invited a few retired guest artist performers, (two of whom, using walkers, were picked up from their retirement centers, each afternoon) and also  'volunteers,' several stay-at-home moms with no experience  in theatre. We want our traditional students to learn how to create original programs using actors and non actors. Howling at the Moon also performed a program of original monologues, and several decided to become part of the group.

By the end of the two-weeks, every student conducted oral history interviews, composed and wrote mini monologues, worked on a life review project, presented a readers theatre program on a theme of their choice, and presented an original performance of lifewriting using both seniors and younger people. This year we plan to develop this curriculum further and again to mix students of all ages.

Here's what the participants said about the class:

The class was a chance to see the bright young people and the bright older people interacting so well!

I enjoyed sharing thoughts and ideas with class participants, particularly, because they were young and full of wonder. We  aren't so different after all!

This course exceeded my expectations...

I was amazed at the beauty and depth of the products we were able to create from people's life stories.

For an extra special treat, this year's ATHE conference will bring  many Senior Theatre sessions, workshops and performances to the annual meeting of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Join us from August 3-6, 2006 at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Learn the latest techniques, meet other Senior Theatre lovers and share ideas...a wonderful way to learn more about Senior Theatre!

Click on the link to read more about "Don't Just Applaud, Send Money!"

Bonnie's Senior Theatre workshop at the University of Kentucky's Summer Series on Aging was a hit with over 50 people at the session.

The wonderful fundraising book, Don't Just Applaud, Send Money is back in print. If you need new fundraising ideas, this is the book for you! Click here for more information.

Contact us to get a copy of the Vagabond Player's show, Social Security, The Silver Whistle, or help with any of your Senior Theatre questions. 

Plus, we offer plays, plays and more plays...and more in this, the largest collection of Senior Theatre materials.