ArtAge and Multnomah Village are a good fit

Several months ago, my husband and I decided to return to our home, Oregon. So since our latest e-newsletter, we've been on the move. Yes, ArtAge has moved from Kansas City to Portland, Oregon.

The ArtAge office is now located in Multnomah Village, a charming neighborhood with a small-town community feeling located in Southwest Portland. The quaint area has streets lined with unique gift and antique shops, cafes, a wine shop, music store, art galleries, and coffee shops. The village makes you feel as though you have been transported back to a simpler time.

Here is our new contact information:

PO Box 19955  Portland OR 97280
503-246-3000 or 800-858-4998 
Fax: 503-246-3006
bonniev@seniortheatre.com       
www.seniortheatre.com

If you're in the area, please stop by.

The Jewish Theatre of the South is ready for the Festival

You won't want to miss the upcoming 2006 Senior Theatre Festival. It's not too late to join us at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis from October 4-7. The schedule is full of performances, workshops, lab theatre shows, and exhibits. Discover what's new in the growing field of Senior Theatre.

See stimulating Main Stage shows

The Main Stage will be the site for musicals, one act plays and lifewriting. Here are some of the Main Stage companies:

• Tin Pan Alley performed by the Senior Star Showcase
• Pluto and Lemonade from the UNLV Senior Adult Theatre;
• Broadway Cabaret from CAST, San Diego
• Writing Our Lives by Howling at the Moon
• Are We There Yet? from the Jewish Theatre of the South 
• Honey, I'm Home by the Anderson Senior Follies

Explore the many forms of Senior Theatre

• Musical Theatre
• Lifewriting
• Improvisation
• Living History shows
• Dance and movement
• New Trends
• Playwrighting
• Theatre Management
• New Plays

There's something for everyone. The Festival is a great way to meet other Senior Theatre lovers, share ideas and learn new techniques. You'll be inspired!

Visit the websites below for registration details and other information. You can also contact Tracy Macmorine at 513-421-3900 or email tmacmorine@edta.org.

GRANTS:
The League of American Theatres and Producers awarded  $5,000 to each of 10 presenters of touring Broadway shows across the US for the development or support of education programs associated with touring productions.
 
The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, FL will use On Golden Pond to bring together seniors and middle school students to explore family relationships and perspectives on aging and age discrimination. The project will explore oral and written history and help seniors develop brief spoken word performances based on their memories and experience.  

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Members and alumni of Silver Wings Repertory gathered on September 5 to celebrate the group's 15th anniversary. It grew from an acting class for older adults to a company of 24 dues-paying members who perform a variety show for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and senior centers. 

At the luncheon celebration, the active members did a one-minute piece from their show or reminisced about past performances. Six of the original founders attended. Over the years, Silver Wingers have staged a melodrama, an original script called Shootout at the P.H. Corral, and a one-act play. They experimented with original skits, stand-up comedy and monologues. The group also performed several benefits for their local Pleasant Hill Community Foundation.

The Playmakers' Guild Celebrates Senior Theatre

The Playmakers' Guild is a group of twenty-four performers who live in The Veranda, a subsidized housing facility in Atlanta. For most of the seniors, this is the first time they have been in a play or attended theatre. Many were initially reluctant to participate in the drama group. But their first show, "It's Our Time--And We Can Make It Happen," was so popular that the group knew they had something special.

This fall, the company has been asked to perform on the Morehouse College campus. How ironic, most of the cast was not able to go to college, now they'll appear on the very stage that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made famous. The company is well into its second season with new projects, new shows, and accolades from everyone! As director Delores Thomas says, "Dreams are coming true in Atlanta."

Still Acting Up performs at the 2006 ATHE conference in Chicago

The Association for Theatre in Higher Education's Senior Theatre Focus Group is going to New Orleans and we'd like you to be on the slate of presenters and performers. The yearly conference will be held from July 26-29, 2007. The theme is "Regenerations: Theatre and Performance as a Regenerative Force." What a perfect fit for the Senior Theatre Focus Group!

We'd like you to speak or perform. Visit the website to see this year's Senior Theatre session ideas and learn how you can participate.

Send in your proposals by October 10!

OSU Theatre & Aging Seminar participants discuss a performance

Ohio State University's Theatre & Aging Seminars were held last July. As instructor, Alan Woods, says, "Last summer was a great success!" In the mornings, the group explored Senior Theatre theories and read plays. In the afternoons, they created lifewriting peices using both older and younger performers.

The two week intensive seminar will be repeated next July. The instructors, Joy Reilly and Alan Woods, will also offer the courses in the 2007 Winter and Spring Quarters.

Turn to our Senior Theatre Resource Center for the largest collection of Senior Theatre materials--plays, books, videos and TipSheets.

In addition, we can help you: