Welcome to 'The Stranger in My Clothes', a unique Herts based performance project dedicated to exploring the many facets of dementia through drama.
Using theatre, mask, movement and storytelling techniques we will be uncovering the narratives that dementia weaves into the lives of those living with this condition through fun, explorative and inclusive drama workshops that will inform the creation of a brand new performance - vitally involving those living with the condition in the making of new theatre.
Follow me as I embark on this 6 month interactive performance project, working with Trestle Theatre company and support groups from across the county to unfold stories that are often left untold, raise awareness and provide a voice to those who have so much to tell us about a condition we need to know so much more about.
Yes, that is what this month has been all about! The start of the writing and rehearsing process, as we start to turn all the material gathered over the drama workshops into our interactive play. And it has been a very fun experience, I have to say!
How quickly two months has zipped by! Suddenly autumn is upon us and, with all the recent rain and Shakespearean storms, it feels as if this new season has firmly taken hold. Now, as the leaves start to crispen and fall, my summer seaside themed workshops already feel as if they belong to a bygone, but very wonderful, time. As I write this, I’ve completed all my workshops in dementia groups and am starting to think about the piece of theatre I might make and, most importantly, why.
Joy.
Wow! What a busy month it has been and so much to share with you!
13-19th May 2024 is The Alzheimer's Society 'Dementia Action Week' and there seems no better time to launch this new outreach drama project - 'The Stranger in my Clothes'.
'The Stranger in My Clothes', is a participatory drama project conceived by director, playwright and performer Jenny Ayres, with the kind support of Trestle Theatre company and Hertfordshire Community Foundation.
Working with arts and support groups/ specialists across the county, Jenny will design and deliver multiple interactive drama, mask and storytelling workshops across a number of dementia settings to gather a wealth of creative material and real life stories to develop a brand new play.
This unique stimuli will then be taken into a period of script development and group rehearsal, before resulting in a short performance tour back to those same settings before considering wider touring possibilities.
Based on her own experience of her stepmother’s Alzheimer’s, and being a fulltime carer, Jenny will be working closely with those living with the condition throughout the project to enable their vital involvement & contribution to the making of new theatre, whilst also demystifying preconceptions and highlighting the resilience and humility of those affected.
Join Jenny on this journey, as we seek to give voice to those living with dementia, one story at a time.
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