As i had a free day in San Francisco i took up the amazing opportunity of observing and spending time at Stagebridge in Oakland.
Check out there website for live performances and Stories:
First of all i observed a Storytelling workshop in which there were about 12 seniors taking part. 3 of them performed their story. I was blown away and didn't realise how much emotion, movement, voice and music can go into just one story. Each story was very different but all equally brilliant!! This class develops skills to engage audiences through emotion, humour and props. No PAPER allowed! They were all SO talented...
Storytelling to me is very interactive! Through listening and responding through questions, eye contact or even 'sighing or laughing'. Stagebridge was entirely different to other programs i have observed such as 'Storycorps' due to its energetic storytelling. You could feel the emotion without hearing the words.
Afterwards i watched a performance by 'Word for Word'. Where they incorporate either short stories or poetry into theatre. A poem about loss and how the head and heart helped and assisted was acted out. It was also very powerful and confidently done! I would be really interested to develop these techniques myself as it can really promote engagement and relationships within a group.
Last of all, i watched a group rehearse for a show they will perform this Sunday! Around 15 seniors - singing, dancing, acting and reading. It was very humourous! And i was dying to find out their previous careers to really delve into whether this was part of 'Creative Aging'..???
It was really amazing to be at Stagebridge and i hope this older generation will develop in this way...
