Sheatre Launches New Play Project Addressing Elder Partner Abuse in Grey-Bruce
Older adults are invited to volunteer in various roles to help create a new play about elder abuse and intimate partner violence, with a community workshop running June 2–7 in Owen Sound.
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Older adults are invited to create a new play with Sheatre during the week of June 2. Professional artists Joan Chandler and david sereda will facilitate a week-long creative workshop in Owen Sound. The group will later present their work to community groups across the region.
A public information session will take place on Wednesday, May 7 at 3:30 at the Active Lifestyles Grey-Bruce Centre, 1852 3rd Ave. E., Owen Sound.
The play will focus on the issue of intimate partner abuse. According to Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, Intimate partner violence (IPV) among seniors aged 65+ increased by 42% from 2014 to 2022. The rise continues.
This new project is supported by the Grey Bruce Community Legal Clinic and Grey Bruce Elder Abuse Prevention Network.
“We will build on work already being done in our community to raise awareness and change attitudes on this issue,” says Chandler.
“We have noticed that the public and professionals are much more likely to pay attention and remember the issue of elder abuse when it is presented by Sheatre through theatre than when GBEAPN members simply talk about the issue,” said Angela Yenssen, Grey Bruce Elder Abuse Prevention Network Chair.
Sheatre has a reputation for producing plays that educate audiences about social issues. For almost two decades, their show Far From the Heart / Loin du coeur reached thousands of Canadian students with its unique approach to consent and sexual assault prevention – interactive forum theatre.
The educational program was so successful that it has toured 13 times to over 35,000 people. The story has universal resonance. It started, as this one will, with a project involving local residents who wanted to respond to a growing problem with violence, amid a reluctance to admit that it happens in our community. Far From the Heart doesn’t shy away from the truth. Nor will this play.
Sheatre is now looking for adults who want to join in telling the true story of gender violence from the perspective of older people.
They don’t start with a script. The play will emerge as the company improvises together and chooses those things that truly tell the story. The workshop will run from Monday, June 2, to Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily in Owen Sound.
There will be a workshop presentation on Saturday. Participants would need to commit to the full time period.
No previous theatre experience is necessary. Anyone who is knowledgeable about the issue, anyone who would like to share their experience about it, can take part.
Volunteer opportunities include storytellers, play creators and actors, as well as production assistants, designers, promoters and more. To volunteer, email engage@sheatre.com, including a letter indicating your interest and your contact information. Information about the location and details will then be sent.
The project is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, Artists in Communities and Schools program.