November 2021

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A sense of humor and enthusiasm for living adds
years to your life and life to your years.
Jeanne Nott's Philosophy of Life

Bonnie's Column

“Use theatre as a springboard to…
Ms. Colorado Senior America or…
 

I am often enthusiastic about the value of doing theatre for our body, minds, and spirits. Yet one aspect of the value of theatre that I should mention more often is how well acting skills transfer to other activities. This came to mind when a Senior Theatre performer, Jeanne Nott, recently won the Ms. Colorado Senior America Pageant. A stand-up comedian, she shared with me that her acting experience was critical to her success, for with it she gained confidence, the ability to work under pressure, and a resilience of spirit. 

In fact, Jeanne's theatre background fuels almost every aspect of her work. With a foundation in formal training as an actor, she has performed in numerous plays, is a storyteller, an award winning playwright, and, thanks to the help of her agent, has been cast in television and video work. Her favorite, however, is stand-up. A regular performer at senior centers and retirement communities in her area, audience members come out in droves whenever she is going to entertain.

If you're interested in more about stand-up, check out the new film, Good Timing with Jo Firestone. The setting is a comedy workshop for older actors who are preparing for their first live stand-up show. It's funny, heartwarming, and may even inspire you to try it for yourself.

Other ways to put your theatre skills to use include:

• Act in commercials: Where have we seen Dottie? A colleague’s mom, Dottie, has been doing consistent work in commercials. She has appeared in print and video ads as well as being in industry films, called industrials. Learn more with our TipSheet, Acting in Television Commercials.
• Perform voiceovers
• Be a model patient for medical or EMT training
• Voice audio books
• Help kids as a Santa or Mrs. Santa

Use your theatre skills to expand your horizons--jump in and take the risk!

Click here to read about Jeanne and how theatre has helped her succeed as a comedian.

Yours in Theatre,

Bonnie L. Vorenberg
President, ArtAge Publications

Survey Results 
In our last newsletter, we asked you to take a minute to share with us how you're doing. We received responses from all 50 states, as well as Canada, New Zealand, England, and Portugal!

Specifically, this graph shows: 

• For all activities, there will be more participation in early 2022 than at the end of 2021 (column 2 is taller than column 1)
• 90% of the respondents plan to resume rehearsals and performances in early 2022
• Between now and early 2022, respondents anticipate more activities happening in person

These results should encourage you to get started and keep going! Here are some quotes from the survey to inspire you: 

• "We need to do what we love as safely as possible. Our audience is eager to come out and be entertained."
• "We loved performing Senior Theatre online with Zoom. Now we want to go LIVE!"
• "Senior Theater is very important to older actors in that it gives them a chance to express their creative side with others in their age group and without having to compete with younger actors.

Our Plays are Being Performed!

P. Blaufaux couldn't stop raving about their company's recent production of Radio KRZY. He says, "The actors dove into their quirky characters, bringing them to life as they learned about comedy ensemble acting. Our audiences laughed, cheered, and stomped their feet. The actors took multiple bows. Rave reviews followed in our community newsletter and social media." The group can't wait to perform their next show. Congratulations!
 
Our shows were on stage in many other places including:

• Lost and Found was a ton of fun in the UK.
• Audiences had a good laugh over a man's attempt to return a Black Friday purchase in a performance of The Complaint Department in Florida.
• Etta and Ida at Starbucks was a hit in New York.
• Texans loved how an old story was re-told in a modern age with Noah.
• Audiences in California enjoyed a performance of Evacuation.
• The word in Florida is that Misconceptions was a huge it!
• Audiences in Arizona were amused by a performance of Splitting Hares in which couples' counseling takes a very strange turn.
• It's easy to deduce why a performance of Mike 'Hard As' Nails in Arizona received rave reviews.
• In Georgia, a performance of Mernie's Little Hoax had audiences laughing at the mischievous millionaire.

Rehearsals are happening for our many holiday shows celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's Day.
See the list here.


 

Fun and Games

The dark days of winter are the perfect time to dust off some games
and have fun with friends.
These select e-scripts are on sale until November 18, 2021. 

A Brief History of Mah Jongg
40 minute comedy. 5-6 women
Mondays solidified the friendship of four women. And then the games stopped. Decades later, the group reunites, one tile and one player, short.

Chatterton Country Club: It's Your Move
15 minute comedy, 2 men 1 woman
Bob and Joe, share more than a game of checkers. It’s all guy talk until Bob reveals a secret about Joe’s wife. Chatterton Country Club has three 15-minute plays which connect to each other and include It's Your Move.

Bingo Ladies Gone Bad
15 minute comedy, 7 women
Hijinks and shenanigans rule the day as the ladies of the Perfect Petunias Garden Club pull out all the stops at the yearly luncheon and bingo game.

Secrets in the Clouds
15 minute comedy, 2 women
Liz and Elsie, friends for 30 years, meet in the Afterlife, where secrets are revealed as they play games and drink Irish Whiskey. Wonderful, lively characters full of punch.

Grown Up Games
10 minute comedy, 2 men
Anthony and Charles wait on a bench in the passenger area of a train station. We think they’re taking the next train but…

Playing the Game
20 minute comedy, 3 men
With the help of his two friends, Ozzy gets off the bench and practices the dating game.

Dangerous Games
15 minute comedy, 1 man, 2 women, 5 either
A game-night party with good friends becomes more interesting when a new game is proposed, leading one to ask: among friends, what is more dangerous—the truth or a lie?

You're the Jury: The Case of the Steel Deal
60 minute courtroom drama, 3 men, 5 women, 14 either
Twins who were addicted to playing the lottery have died and their relatives are fighting over the winning ticket. The audience gets to decide who is the rightful owner of $3,000,000!

The Prize
10 minute comedy, 1 man, 2 women
A retirement community's new resident is stunned to learn he will be the latest award in an astonishing lottery.

At Half Time
20 minute comedy, 1 man, 5 women
The Over 60 Women’s Park Basketball league has had a terrible first half. They’re losing to Little Sisters of Mercy. It’s halftime and the Coach is beside himself!

Bowling with Dixie
20 minute comedy, 4 women
Four middle-aged women plan to convert a vacant store into a bowling alley. But first they must outsmart a cagey county Sheriff.
 

Save $5 On These Select E-Scripts
Sale ends November 18, 2021

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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