Bonnie's actors at Miramont Pointe Retirement Community

January is a time for new beginnings so when I recently read about older workers looking for jobs, I thought of how older actors have a great opportunity. You can:

Perform in the community: Use your talent to create a solo show, a small ensemble, or a full-fledged Senior Theatre company. Some seniors also perform as stand-up comedians, act in short plays, or create musical revues. Once your performance is ready to stage, you’ll find that the community is rich with opportunities. From retirement communities to fraternal organizations, many groups and clubs are looking for entertainment. The better show you create, the more you can charge!

Teach at retirement communities: Studies have proven how seniors involved in the arts benefit mentally, physically, and in many other ways. So Activity Directors are scheduling more arts events for their residents. I have the pleasure of teaching at a retirement community and find it very artistically rewarding. Also, you can adapt creative drama, improvisation, and storytelling techniques for lower functioning seniors to create programs that are stimulating and fun—for both the participants and for you. See our Stimu-Drama TipSheet for more ideas.

Act in commercials: A good way to bring in some extra income is to act in films and commercials. See our TipSheet about how to get involved.

Be a model patient: Many medical schools are using older actors to impersonate patients. It’s a great experience that helps the staff learn more about growing older.

Use your unique set of skills to create opportunities that will be artistically and financially rewarding. It may be the best job you ever had. Let us know your ‘arts job’ and we’ll share the ideas.

Have a great New Year!

Bonnie L. Vorenberg
ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center, President

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You're never too old for love

It's not too late to stage a Valentine's Day show. We think you'll enjoy these plays about love. They look at relationships from an older person's point of view. They're comedies with just the right amount of romance to be fun for both the actors and for the audience. Try:

Coconut Creme Pie- It’s the first day of work, delivering pies for his resentful son-in-law’s business. Everything goes wrong! Humorous. Good characters.

Cross Words- This is a clever look at those idiosyncrasies we all love in our spouses. From Age on Stage®: Ten Minute Plays

Gin and Tonic- This laugh-out-loud comedy offers a fresh look at the problems of senior dating. A Senior Theatre classic!

Interview with Dan Cupid- The interviewer, a bit surprised by Dan Cupid’s advanced age, asks about success stories and learns that some people fall in love without the old guy’s help.

Just a Song at Twilight- A man and a woman meet on a park bench. Do these two share a past? Does she really remember life as it was? Can lost love be recovered?

Love and Other Investments- Wry-witted with rapid fire dialogue, this comedy reminds us that there’s more to life than investments and paperwork.

Maisie and Grover Go to the Theatre- Maisie & Grover have come to the theatre using anniversary-present tickets from their children. She loves the idea; he hates it. A quick, fun, easy show!

Making a Move- Will athletic Vera be able to get her husband, Harvey, to move off the couch and into a bungalow at Silverwood Estates? An award-winning one act comedy!

Roses to Plan- An older married couple give us a sweet and funny look at love in a long-standing marriage. A touching and kind show.

Starting Over- Solly sits in a shady spot in an urban park where he meets May. Their chat reveals secrets known only to each other. A funny, touching story!

The Edge of Forever- This touching play explores the depth of the affection that develops after 50 years of marriage. From Age on Stage®: Ten Minute Plays

The Further Adventures of Super Hero and Doris Drive- Super Hero is getting older, but he can always depend on his loyal mate, Doris Drive, to see him through.

Under a Magical Moon- Our favorite love story! A charming play that will blow a breath of fresh summer breeze across the stage.

The Showstoppers perform two times a year

We were talking with a senior center director from Ohio who was looking for a play to perform. She mentioned that they have been inviting other senior centers to their performances for three years. Now, they have a Short Play Marathon, called “Caution: Seniors at Play” scheduled for March 22. Each senior center is preparing a show up to 15 minutes long and they are using popular scripts like All the Comforts of Home, What’s on TV?, and The Challenge of Bureaucracy, among others. Often there is a theme for shows and refreshments. With a wedding theme, they held a full-fledged wedding reception after the shows.

A Short Play Festival is an idea that can be used with other aging organizations like retirement communities, clubs, or other groups. Several years ago, we held an Oregon Senior Theatre Festival which featured speakers and performances in a 3-hour event. It was a huge success.

Try it!

"Old Hams' a 2012 Best Seller

The tally is in! Below is a list of our top 10 selling items for 2012. Start the New Year with one of these tried and true titles. Click on each for more information.

1. Age on Stage®: Comedies for Readers Theatre Volume 1: Always on our Best Sellers list, this collection of funny characters and humorous situations has lively dialogue, sudden surprises, and just the right touch of charming goofiness. It is great fun!

2. Age on Stage®: Comedies for Readers Theatre Volume 2- Open to any page in this book and you will find why this collection of comedies always tops our chart of best sellers!

3. Seniors Acting Up- Ten amusing one act plays, six skits, and additional information such as coping with stage fright. All are funny!

4. No Frills Airline- In this five-minute skit, flying isn’t what it used to be. Get ready for the laughs to take off!

5. The Improv Game- This game has been so popular in classes and workshops that we now offer it to you. It makes improvisation simple, quick and fun.

6. Senior Moments- These five short plays, presented singly or in groups, are met with rave reviews!

7. Joggin' Along- This series of five comedy sketches involves two single older women who stop jogging long enough to talk about what’s going on in their lives--nothing is sacred!

8. Age on Stage®: Ten Minute Plays- This collection of six 10-15 minute plays is an affectionate and funny look at everyday relationships with family, friends, and strangers.

9. At Half Time- The team in the Over 60 Women’s Park Basketball league has had a terrible first half. They’re losing to Little Sisters of Mercy–a silent order of nuns who play in long skirts. Hilarious!

10. Old Hams- The play tells the story of the actors, singers and musicians who save their home from the tax collector and from the greedy son of an attorney who are intent on selling the property and turning it into a shopping mall. The strong characters and plot makes this show memorable for both actors and audiences!

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You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. --C.S. Lewis