January 2022

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Bonnie's Column: Leaping Over Hurdles

Some days, as a director, you just go home and you ask yourself, "Why am I doing this, again?" If so, a recent story from Martha will resonate with you. She recently sent me the following note, and I had to chuckle. With her. 

She wrote, “Well, we had it all! One actor couldn’t walk for very long at a time, another couldn’t walk without a cane or walker, three quit before rehearsals even started, a fourth quit after only a few rehearsals; all missed at least one rehearsal, and one actor missed five. Three actors were hard of hearing, and one kept forgetting his lines and then his glasses…” and on the story went. 

Martha prevailed. And, the group survived. Better yet, their audience raved, exclaiming, “The show was so funny!”

I wasn't surprised, really. As Senior Theatre directors, we’ve all been there. Figuring out how to solve challenges and keep the show moving is what we do. And we continue on, even though some days it's easy to get caught up in the struggles. It's all worth it. Our actors have a super time and the audiences love what we do.

The "cherry on top of the sundae" however was when Martha ended her message by saying, “We love your scripts and can’t wait for our next show!” This time, I had to chuckle again. Because some days, I too, go home and ask myself, "Why am I doing this, again?" and little reminders -- of the joy we bring to Martha, her actors, and the audiences-- is what makes it all worthwhile. 

In this New Year, we challenge you to leap over the hurdles so you can experience the joy of Senior Theatre.

Yours in Theatre,



Bonnie L. Vorenberg
President, ArtAge Publications

New Plays!

Three New Plays!

We are excited to announce three witty plays. They'll be a hit online, as Readers Theatre, or fully-staged. 
 

Romance Reconfigured 
15 minute comedy, 1 man, 1 woman
Mimsy and Stephan (that’s Ste-PHAN, with the emphasis on the second syllable), are alone yet together for their weekly Zoom date. Without much to talk about, these two still keep things spicy! 

Telemarketer Torment
15 minute comedy, 3 men, 4 women
Silvia hatches a brilliant idea for how to handle telemarketers. She no longer hangs up in anger. With her new strategy, they can’t get off the call fast enough!

About Pamela Loyd: Pamela’s first life calling was helping people become psychologically healthier and happier through a career as a counselor. Now she helps audiences around the world have a healthy laugh with her comical plays and spirited characters. She created these two plays with online performances in mind, but they'll be marvelous fully-staged as well. Click here for more plays by Pamela Loyd.

And take a look at another new play, A Dog Barks, by a wonderful author Dwight Watson. The snappy dialogue makes it a very successful show online:
A Dog Barks
10 minute comedy, 1 man, 1 woman
A fun comedy about a quick-witted couple, noise ordinances, and their 40-year anniversary.

See the list of other online shows here! and for how to stage an online show, see our TipSheet, Senior Theatre Online Made Easy.

Our Plays are Being Performed!

"We had such a wonderful time working with the script!" shared Ariel, about a recent production of House of Tomorrow. We thank her for sending us photos of their production.  

We were thrilled to see Christina's images that she shared with us. She wrote, "Our Christmas program was a great success! Our photos only begin to convey how well our production went. From left to right, we featured Sara Plays Her Game, The Holiday Letter, and Merry Christmas/Happy Thanksgiving." 

• C. Miller, photo above, told us that her performance in California of the monologue Sara Plays her Game was a marvelous success, stating, "The play demonstrates the ingenuity and resilience of people living under an extremely stressful situation...It is a very serious play but at the same time, it is uplifting."
• Audiences in Florida are still talking about the wonderful and fun production of Casserole Cassanova. 
• The production of Senior Moments in California was a hit. 
• Does this Show Make My Butt Look Fat? sparked conversations and laughter in Florida. 
• The hilarious internet romantic comedy, Bagels, was a huge success in California. 
• A theatre company performed Digging Up Hoffa and Spaghetti Western in Arizona to rave reviews. They're still trying to decide if they are a "plainer" or a "meat-baller." 
• The sisters in Griddle Cakes may debate everything under the sun, but the people who saw the performance in North Carolina all agree the show was a hit.  
• A Wicked Little Wager was wickedly funny - and suspenseful! - in North Carolina. 

Our first sale of hard copy scripts ends January 17, 2022. 
To view the list of sale scripts, click here:
Hard Copy Scripts On Sale
 

John Propster Joins Who's Who in Senior Theatre

We are pleased to introduce our most recent addition to "Who's Who in Senior Theatre," John Propster. He is the founder of Improv4Life, a workshop for older actors in Arizona. Click here to learn more about John and Improv4Life, pictured below.   


We love improv! We asked John to share his guiding principles for leaders and participants of improv. Here's what he says: 

John Propster's Guiding Principles for Improv

• “Yes and…”
• Accept what has gone before and build on it.  
• No Mistakes 
• Anything goes in the world of improv. There are no mistakes, only opportunities!  
• Make your partner look good.
• Improv is not a competition, it’s a collaboration. If your partner looks stuck or flailing, throw them a lifeline to keep the scene moving.
• Be Happy, Healthy and Hopeful.
• Leave the troubles of the outside world behind! Focus on the positive and having a good time.
• Take care of yourself.
• Participation is voluntary for any game or exercise. Don’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing physically or emotionally.

Click here to see other resources to help you with improv
 

Download our catalog:

The largest collection of plays, books, materials, and information for older performers.
 

Contact us at:

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

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