On Ageing
A theatre piece about the processes and experiences
of becoming old
Dates
On Ageing will be performed at the Young Vic in 2010.
Creative Team
Designed and directed by
David Harradine
Associate Director
Samantha Butler
Lighting Design
Hansjorg Schmidt
Composer
Ged Barry
Production Manager and technical design Ali Beale
Produced by Fuel
Other creative team details tbc
On Ageing is a piece of theatre for adults, performed by children. It is an exploration of what it means to be living in an ageing body, to move from childhood through adulthood to old age, to have reached that point in your life where you are no longer young, and have become old. It is performed by a number of children aged between 7 and 14. It is not a piece of theatre for children, but it will be made collaboratively, through a long period of research and development, working with children. We will also work closely with a number of old people, with an advisory panel of gerontologists, with parents, grandparents and a number of collaborating artists.
As well as the children performing the piece, we imagine there will be one adult performer, an elderly female opera singer: a musician whose instrument, her body, has changed profoundly through the process of becoming old.
A three month period of research and development was completed in April 2009 involving primary schools, teachers, children under fourteen, people over 70 years old and gerontologists.