A UNIQUE and interactive theatre performance will take to the stage in Alloa this week.
Edinburgh-based theatre company Active Inquiry will work with their audiences to put on an interactive performance about our perceptions of ageing.
Their show, 'The Truth About Ageing', explores societal ageism, its consequences, and what we can do about it.
It is a piece of forum theatre, in which audience members are invited to intervene in the performance and steer its direction.
Gavin Crichton, artistic director of Active Inquiry, said: “Forum theatre encourages dialogue with an audience and for them to be active in thinking about ways forward in a particular problem.
"It enables an audience to stop the action, come up on stage and join in. We view it as a rehearsal for reality - we try it on stage and think about how we can use that in the real world, outside the theatre door.
“It’s a little bit risky as you don’t know what input people will have, but there is definitely an appetite for this sort of theatre as it’s more active and participatory.”
It follows on from Active Inquiry’s successful partnership with Dr Melanie Lovatt on her ESRC-funded Reimagining the Future in Older Age project.
During this project, Active Inquiry worked with University of Stirling researchers and older members of the public to develop and perform two forum theatre pieces exploring ageing, which were performed over Zoom in 2021.
This is Active Inquiry’s first time at Forth Valley College in a performance that is being put on in collaboration with the University of Stirling and Scottish Care, the voice of the independent care sector.
Dr Melanie Lovatt, of the University of Stirling, added: “We love the idea of bringing our research to life through theatre and look forward to the audience participation, and also the panel discussion, surrounding The Truth About Ageing.”
The free performance is part of the University of Stirling’s programme for the Festival of Social Science, being held in Alloa on Thursday, November 9, and Friday, November 10, at Forth Valley College.
The November 10 performance will be followed by a panel discussion about ageing and the societal challenges around it.
For more information on the ESRC Festival of Social Science and its events, visit the University of Stirling website.
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