Ages & Stages is a Cavan Age Friendly drama production with Cavan OPC funded by Creative Ireland.

Description

Members of Cavan OPC had previously enjoyed taking part in creative writing and arts projects. The OPC worked on a performance ‘The best years of our lives are yet to come’ in 2018 and throughout various Covid lockdowns, online creative writing workshops were successfully organised. Some of the members also worked with Writer Anthony J Quinn on three short story anthologies Lost Landmarks I II & III. Older People across the County also took part in the Creative Ireland/Age Friendly Ireland North Region St Brigid project during Autumn 2022 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Numerous requests for similar creative workshops and events support a collective desire to remember, share, connect and to create new work, to be presented to an audience.

In early 2023 Cavan Age Friendly and Creative Cavan submitted a joint funding application to Creative Ireland for funding under the ‘Creativity in Older Age Scheme 2023’ to facilitate the development of a new drama production involving members of Cavan OPC. In May 2023 Creative Ireland awarded funding of €12,250 to the project. Advertisements were placed in the local newspaper (The Anglo Celt) on local radio (Northern Sound) and on Cavan County Council and Cavan Age Friendly social media inviting anyone interested in the project to a meeting which was arranged for July 2023. All the members of Cavan OPC were emailed about the project also. The initial meeting was attended by the Cavan Age Friendly Programme Manager, the facilitator and approximately 20 older people. The project was discussed and writing workshops were scheduled. Writing workshops took place weekly on Friday mornings throughout the summer. Scenes were chosen and refined and then as the project moved on these workshops became acting workshops. The Town Hall centre in Cavan was booked as the venue for two performances which would take place in November 2023. The project facilitator Maura Williamson put together a technical team comprising of stage assistants, lighting and technical specialists and a sound engineer. Props were sourced from the cast themselves and from a local second-hand shop. Cavan Age Friendly supported the project by organising meeting spaces and providing materials (e.g., copies of scripts and refreshments). Cavan Age Friendly hired a photographer to ensure that there were high quality photographs of the cast and show. A graphic designer was also procured who designed and printed posters and flyers used to advertise the show. A programme for the show was also designed and printed. The older people involved in the project were consulted throughout and chose the final design for all publicity materials. The shows themselves were promoted on local radio by use of radio adverts and interviews with cast members and the project facilitator/director. It was also advertised in the local newspaper and posters were placed in libraries throughout the county and in local businesses and at the theatre venue. Social media was used to promote the shows also and an advert of the shows was also placed in newsletters for local churches, the public participation network’s weekly newsletter and the Age Friendly Ireland weekly newsletter.

One of the key aspects of the project was that the new theatre piece would be performed in a community setting, to be attended by older members of the community, their families and friends, thereby offering an enjoyable social experience. This provided everyone with the opportunity to attend a theatre production and introduced some to live performance for the first time. Social isolation is a very real issue particularly in a predominantly rural county of Cavan. Admission was free and free transport was provided to Cavan Town to facilitate ease of access and to enable full participation at the performances. The second night of the show in Townhall Arts Centre was recorded and professional photographs were taken throughout to capture the performance as it happened.

In December 2023 there was an additional funding allocation for the project which enabled the production to be brought on the road. Rehearsals recommenced on a weekly basis in January 2024 and updated publicity materials were prepared. There were performances of a shortened and tailored show in three nursing homes during March 2024 (Sheelin in Mountnugent, Oak View in Belturbet and College View in Cavan). In April 2024 the show was performed in Gallonray House in Maudabawn (6th April), Killeshandra Community Centre (20th April) with a final performance in Dowra Courthouse on 27th April. Transport was provided to bring the cast to each show and the technical crew were rehired to provide support at each performance. There were large crowds in attendance at all the community shows. The performance in Dowra Courthouse was the first ever performance of a drama production in the village.
The ’Ages and Stages’ project was very enjoyable for all participants be they the writers, the cast or the audience. It is something that Cavan Age Friendly are very proud to have been involved with.

Aim of Initiative

The aim of the initiative was threefold
1) To allow older people to come together to use creativity to document their life experiences and share their experiences and thoughts,
2) To give older people an opportunity to perform on stage with support and guidance from professionals
3)To bring theatre to a new audience particularly in rural areas of the county and to people who may be socially isolated and to bring live theatre into nursing home settings

Who is it aimed at

The initiative was aimed at older people within the county both as participants and audience members. Those who lived in more socially isolated communities and those in nursing homes were especially targeted in phase 2 of the project

3 Steps critical to success

1. Sourcing an experienced drama facilitator – Maura Williamson the drama facilitator/director was key to the whole project. Maura has an MA in Dramatheraphy and a lot of experience in working with older people including the 2018 Cavan Older People’s Drama project. Maura had an ability to work with the participants some of who had never written or acted before to bring the best out of them. She taught the participants about stage management and how sets, props and movement have to work together. Maura organised a technical team of high calibre to support the performances and to ensure that the production although amateur had the same support as a professional production.
2. Support from Cavan Age Friendly in organising venues for creative writing workshops, venues for the performances -theatres, local halls and nursing homes, refreshments, transport, taking bookings for shows, ensuring that publicity materials were available – posters, flyers and programmes.
3. Promotion of the project both to ensure that older people came to the initial meeting to learn about the initiative and sign up to take part and that the performances were well attended. Local media including Northern Sound radio and the Anglo Celt newspaper were used to advertise and both were approached to organise interviews with the drama facilitator and participants. Professional photography and videography services were organised to document the performances and to further promote the shows.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. One of the cast members unfortunately passed away suddenly in the initial weeks of the project and this was a shock for the rest of the participants and it took time for them to recover from this experience. As show time approached in November one of the cast members injured herself and ended up in respite care in Monaghan hospital and was unable to take part this meant that some scenes had to be recast and an understudy had to be found for others. Extra rehearsals were needed to ensure that the cast were comfortable with these changes. On the morning of the first November show a cast member became ill and was unable to perform. One of the stage assistants stepped in and acted in her scenes at the last minute to allow the show to go on.
2. During the lifetime of the project shows were performed in 7 different venues. The change in venues meant that accessibility and safety had to be confirmed at each new location. Each venue was different and this led to different issues arising e.g. in one venue the stage could only be entered and exited from one side meaning that the set up of props between scenes and the movements of the actors had to be adjusted this led to a lot of extra work for the cast and crew to get used to the new set up. The technical team had to set up lighting in a different way at each venue also and this took time to do. The stage at the venue in Dowra was small and meant that there was less space for movement in scenes also. There were long days for the cast and crew on the show days in Cavan Town, Maudabawn, Killeshandra and Dowra. Performances started at 8pm and often the cast and crew wouldn’t be leaving the venue until 10.30pm after being there since lunchtime.
3. It was always the aim of the project that the participants would be supported to a very high level to make sure that the final performances were as professional as possible. This meant a lot of commitment from the cast themselves who attended weekly workshops from July until November and again from January until the final show in April. Rehearsals took place for full days in advance of each show. At times it was difficult to get places to meet with meeting spaces varying from library buildings to resource centres and community spaces. Cavan Age Friendly had to provide a lot of logistical support in booking venues and organising supports.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Older People who took part in the project were unanimous in their positive feedback of how they enjoyed the whole process – feedback back from participants
   1) We took on this creative project Ages & Stages – to quote our inspiring director Maura Williamson ‘to ignite and spark the process of creative writing for the stage’. It has been a huge learning curve for me & opened up so many other ways of being engaged, fulfilled, active and creative in meaningful, inclusive & productive ways in my older years.
   2) For all of us, it meant having the courage to take a risk, make new connections, test our memories, and learn new ways to manage ourselves in this creative space, many for the first time. I was really surprised throughout, at the level of support that was in place for us all the time & I recall saying this to Maura Williamson in the early stages to which she replied ‘And why wouldn’t it be there!’ How right she was. Maura knows in her bones that in the process of writing, creating and delivering on stage everyone has to grow, be courageous, deliver, trust & believe that they can deliver, not just for themselves, but for everyone involved.
   3) This project is about so much more than the end product. I felt so much more connected & engaged when immersed in the process that included being challenged, trusting, being confused, unsure, delighted, inadequate & fulfilled often in one session!
   4)A project like this delivers at so many levels, for all participants as a team, and for those working with them & encouraging them to grow.
2. Drama performances were brought to audiences who might not have had the chance to attend a live production in the past. Admission was free and for the shows in Cavan town free transport was provided from outlying towns – Belturbet, Killeshandra and Arva. This enabled older people to attend who may not have attended otherwise. For phase two of the project the show went to the more isolated areas – Maudabawn, Killeshandra and Dowra in the very west of the county. There were large audiences present at all of the shows. It was the first time that there had been a drama production in Dowra village with people in attendance who had never experienced live theatre before. The welcome and assistance given to the cast and crew at each of the venues was testament to how much their attendance at the venues was appreciated and valued. Feedback from audience member – Myself and my husband attended Ages and Stages play in Killeshandra Community Centre. It was great to see a play again in this lovely hall. We really enjoyed it. The scenes were funny and so many topics were covered where older people take on the modern lifestyle things like technology and laugh at themselves when it not always the right words used. It was a great night’s entertainment, the acting, production and writing were excellent. So good to see people around us laughing and the social interactions afterwards like old times after a play or concert.
3. For phase two of the project it was decided to bring a version of the show to three local nursing homes to allow residents there an opportunity to view live theatre. Expressions of interest were sought from the residential care homes in the county and three expressed interest – Oakview in Belturbet, Sheelin in Mountnugent and College View in Cavan Town. The show had to be tweaked to ensure suitability for the residents regarding content and length of the sketches. The director and one of the cast visited each venue in advance to see where the performances would be taking place so that they could plan which scenes would work best in the space available. The stage hands and sound production team were present at each nursing home show to support the performances. The shows were enjoyed by the residents with feedback from one nursing home – We would like to thank you for all your help in providing us with the opportunity to have a live production in our nursing home. A lot of our residents would not have the opportunity to go out to see a production like this, so the fact that it was able to come here so that all our residents got the opportunity to watch it is so important for their social wellbeing . We at College view greatly appreciate the opportunity for our residents to experience this wonderful show, they found it very enjoyable and extremely uplifting. Our residents would have given to the Cavan community throughout their lives so its great to have this production in our nursing home. Thank you from all our residents, staff and management.