Age Against the Machine launches with The Home, Christopher Green’s challenging and provocative exploration of the pleasures and problems of being cared for in a communal setting. The performance explores the care home as a place of reinvention and possibility for often hidden communities of care workers and elders.
As part of our wider festival programming we are exploring how our local care homes in Lewisham can also become, or already are, places of reinvention and possibility. Our ambition is for all of Lewisham’s older citizens to be able to contribute to, or experience, the thrills and spills of the festival. If you can’t get to the festival then we’ll try and make sure that the festival gets to you.
For three weeks during the festival, care homes in Lewisham will be bursting with a mix of cocktails and conversation, wandering accordionists, cabaret performances, intergenerational projects and beautiful multi-sensory performances. All brought to you by a stunning line-up of companies including Magic Me, Chickenshed and Spare Tyre. We will also be providing accessible transport to bring people from their homes to events happening around the borough.
The brilliant projects and performances popping up in care homes, extra care, day centres and sheltered accommodation around the borough include:
A 21st Century Tea Dance in a care home to celebrate the very first National Day of the Arts in Care Homes.
The Garden - Spare Tyre’s beautiful sensory performance for people living with dementia, are touring to care homes in the borough during the festival.
Fox and Ginger (Bernadette Russell and Emma Waterford) are creating a Pop-Up Knees-Up with residents of The Vineries, featuring make-your-own-cabaret-name, singing, dancing, storytelling, burlesque routines, jokes, dressing up, mocktails, mischief and fun.
Cocktails in Care Homes is run by Magic Me, an intergenerational arts charity that specialises in bringing older and younger people together. Evenings in care homes can be quiet and lonely, so every week Magic Me volunteers host cocktail parties – an occasion for volunteers and residents to socialise together.
When I’m Sixty Four the Beatles’ iconic song about ageing, is the starting point for workshops in care homes exploring music, spoken word, movement and storytelling, hosted by Chickenshed.
George’s Magic Accordion George, a talented young accordionist, is touring care homes around the borough with George’s Magic Accordion, accompanied by John (Positive Ageing Council), to fill rooms with music and magic!
Positive Ageing Groovers are taking workshops and events for movers, shakers and movie makers in to care homes. Hosted by the Positive Ageing Council.
Flour Studio are creating objects and exhibitions which showcase work created in collaboration with residents at a Lewisham care home, exploring sewing, carpentry, crochet, gardening, painting, pottery, tiling, cooking, or any other interests the residents have.
Linda Bloomfield, Producer, Age Against the Machine
Top image by Roswitha Chesher
