Ages and Stages: translating research into practice

This proposal builds on - and extends to new audiences and user communities - our NDA funded research project (2009-2012) entitled Ages and Stages: The Place of Theatre in Representations and Recollections of Ageing. It aims to develop some of the activities and research-led learning from that project and, in so doing, reach out to - and bring together - user communities who may not traditionally have worked with drama in the ways proposed here. This will be achieved through the following connected programme of drama-related activities:

1) The formation of an intergenerational theatre company at the New Vic Theatre. Through a regular series of workshops, the company will bring older and younger people together in creative, drama-based activities to enhance understanding between the generations and support the continued social engagement of both groups.

2) A touring performance. The IG company will create a touring piece(s) which can be taken out to audiences within, and beyond, North Staffordshire. We anticipate that these audiences might include local councils; primary as well as secondary schools; residential homes/housing developments for older people; community groups and higher education institutions providing professional training courses (for teachers, social workers and doctors/nurses).

3) An inter-professional training course and training materials/resources, which will aim to develop practice capabilities and age awareness amongst teachers, health and social care professionals, arts practitioners and others interested in learning about and including intergenerational theatre/drama in their practice. The IG company will act as an important resource by contributing to the development and delivery of the training sessions and providing feedback to participants.

4) A scoping exercise for a wider 'Creative Age Festival', which could leave a concrete community legacy from Ages & Stages.

The project will continue to be overseen by the existing 'Ages and Stages' Advisory Group, which includes experts in drama, intergenerational practice, policy and gerontology. The group will also be refreshed by new members, including younger members of the intergenerational theatre company (aged 16-18) .

The activities we propose are timely for the following reasons. First, there is a notable groundswell of interest in the arts in general and theatre/drama in particular, not simply as a cultural activity but as one which has the potential to impact positively on the well-being of older and younger people. Second, in times of scarce resources, it is important to capitalise on activities which bring people together rather than those which might pit the generations against each other. Third, there is a role for practitioners in facilitating and enabling these kinds of activities but rarely, to our knowledge, have there been opportunities for professionals from differing arenas to work together as is proposed here. Finally, it is important to make best use of existing knowledge - not just that generated from our own work but also that of colleagues. We will be drawing strongly from our collaborators, including our linked Canadian project (about the impact of theatre on health ageing, which runs until 2013), and will also remain part of the New Dynamics of Ageing programme and will benefit from the knowledge exchanges this offers.

This project will be of interest and benefit to a range of individuals, groups and organisations. We anticipate that it will have potential policy and/or practice impacts on:

- Older people
- Young people
- Professionals working with older and/or young people in arts, education, health promotion and social care settings.
- Educators and trainers of community arts, educational, and health and social care professionals.
- Charities and other voluntary organisations representing older and younger people.
- Policy-makers working at local, regional and national levels and in voluntary agencies;

Implications for older and young people:
The project will impact on older and young people in North Staffordshire through:
- Bringing older and young people together to enhance understanding and encourage communication across generations, either as participants in the intergenerational theatre company at the New Vic Theatre or as audience members
- Training professionals who will be able to deliver intergenerational drama-based projects for older and young people in a range of settings. As the original 'Ages and Stages' project has shown, intergenerational drama projects can enhance well-being, quality of life, sense of belonging, social connectedness, confidence and self-esteem for both older and younger participants.
- Scoping the possibility of a 'Creative Age' Festival, which would involve and reach a range of young and older people in North Staffordshire and could become an annual event (as is the Creative Age Festival in Edmonton, Canada, where our linked project is based).

Implications for professionals:
- The training course will bring together professionals who currently work with older and/or young people in community arts, education, social care and health promotion, and/or who wish to include intergenerational theatre/drama in their practice. It will offer a rare opportunity to bring together these professionals from different arenas.
- The course will develop practice capabilities and age awareness for these professionals.
- The course will also bring professionals together with the intergenerational theatre company established by this project. Members of the intergenerational theatre company will contribute to the devising and delivery of the training. This will enable communication and increased understanding between professionals and stakeholders.

Implications for policy makers:
- The Ages and Stages project has provided research evidence about the role that the arts and the involvement of older people can have, and might have, on social exclusion, well-being, and building cohesive communities. In particular, our findings demonstrate the importance of challenging stereotypes that creativity declines/ceases in old age, as well as demonstrating how theatre/drama can be developed as a medium for the inclusion of older adults and young people, with associated implications for positive health outcomes and community cohesion. It has also revealed how issues around identity, well being, self esteem, and self confidence are intimately connected and enhanced through theatre/drama, and the effect that creative participation and arts volunteering can have at times of transition/bereavement in later life. Our follow-on funding programme will demonstrate the different ways that such arts activities can have wide ranging and sustainable impact on practice, the training of professionals, and the lives of young and older people.