Dr Georgia Bowers

As we consider what it means to enter later life, many of us experience unease and strive to retain control over our choices and our lives. Some alleviate this anxiety by making provision, such as having a pension, managing debts before retirement or creating a will. Yet studies conducted by the University of Surrey have discovered that for many older LGBTQ+ people, age-related concerns become heightened. Not only are members of this community navigating old age, which can stir up worries – for example, losing independence, declining health and becoming socially invisible, but for many LGBTQ+ people, these fears collide with the reality of ageing in a heteronormative society, where questions of safety, belonging, and dignity can feel even more pressing.

As I leave my car, I notice that today something is different. Surrounding me is a mixture of Mercedes, Audis and even a Lexus, instantly I think there must be a regional directors’ meeting taking place. The clue is the array of expensive vehicles which are offered to managers and senior members of the care provider. Some view these vehicles as an incentive or reward for hard work and dedication to the company but for many carers these luxury vehicles highlight the disparity between wages and status.

This article provides an insight into the relationship between applied theatre, COVID-19, and UK Government policy in British care homes. This reflection draws upon the experiences of an applied theatre practitioner, who worked in a care home during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. The author shares the impact of COVID-19 government policy, her applied theatre practice, and the implications of this for the practitioner, residents, and staff. The text offers a grounded perspective on the relationship between policy and practice, indicating how uncharted policy terrain can shape a new world of applied theatre in care home contexts.

The Wellness, Community, and Aging (WCA) Focus Group has flourished over the past five years at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). In this article, we recount the history of this focus group, document its transformation, and look to future directions.

This Autoethnographic article reflects on the author's experiences of being a leading facilitator in the field of Applied Theatre with older adults. Through analysis of their autoethnographic journals, which document a ten-year period, the author presents the most prominent trope, which is death and grief. This article creates an access point for the reader to understand how the presence of death and grief manifests within participatory practices with older people and examines themes such as participant grief, the facilitator's professional relationship with death/grief, anticipatory grief, death and grief resilience.

This article highlights how in the UK ageism derives from invasive and pervasive capitalist practices, where our cultural understanding of 'being old' is driven by institutional exit from the labour market. The article explores how ageism has bled into applied theatre practices and problematizes the widespread use of reminiscence theatre as an ageist methodology, as it restricts older people's experiences to the past. Issues of power between the facilitator and practitioner are also explored by questioning the exclusive nature of reviewing and editing older people's personal recollections and who determines what memories have creative value. This article advocates that the field must now fracture away from reminiscence models and instead I propose an Anti-Ageism Praxis (AAP), which functions as a resistance against the invasion of capitalist informed ageism and oppressive ageist theatrical engagement. Instead, AAP places emphasis on shared power, co-collaboration, being present and creating theatre that is informed by real time moments, feelings and thoughts.

In “Applied Theatre: Creative Ageing”, Sheila McCormick offers insight into the complex terrain of an aging society and how applied theatre can be used to highlight, express and examine the needs and issues surrounding older participants. As adults across the world live longer, the developing field of artistic engagement with participants aged 65 plus is fast growing, making McCormick’s book a particularly important contribution to this developing area of theatrical practice.