Change starts here.
Change starts here.
At Camp Alexandra Hall in Crescent Beach retired people become kids, women become men, and middle-aged women become young mothers as they work on a new play.
“Getting To Know You” is an improvised drama created by a group of amateur actors helped by writing coach and author Lois Peterson and, more recently, professional director Ellie King.
The storytelling project – called Bridging Generations – was funded by United Way of the Lower Mainland. It brought together 10 to 12 people of different ages to look at how the generations perceive and sometimes misunderstand each other.
Are teenagers really all noisy gangsters? Are all seniors judgmental and out-of touch?
These are the themes explored in the play.
At one end of the age spectrum are home-schooled sisters Anne Lynn and Danica, aged 18 and 16 respectively. Anne Lynn, who’s just finished up at school, says: “We come here because we like to interact with older people.”
At the other end of the spectrum is former Montreal resident, Marie Claire, age 81 but going on four. She sits clutching a cuddly toy, red baseball cap on backwards, and pretending to be a little kid in the play.
“I can do what I want. They allow me to be a kid,” she says mischievously.
Marie Claire, who also attends the seniors’ lunches put on by Crescent Beach Community Services, is here today with Linda, one of her five grown-up children.
An informal dress rehearsal was held at Camp Alexandra, and was followed a few days later by the full performance itself, including dinner.
United Way of the Lower Mainland provides hope and opportunity for the seniors community. When seniors suffer from isolation, poverty, and homelessness, we all lose. In supporting seniors services, and allowing older people to stay active and live independently, we lessen the impact on our health system and benefit from a lifetime of experience.
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