Guest writer Marcia Singer
Put a big smile on your face: Drop by Music Room 3400 on a Wednesday afternoon and experience a class of older adults having a blast learning the ins and outs of improvisational theatre.
If you thought retirees were too old for this stuff, think again. Seniors ages 57-94 deftly step out of the box to speak nonsensical gibberish, imitate talk show hosts, imaginatively transform a facial wrinkle into a personalized character, sing to Broadway tunes and make up scenes at the drop of a hat.
Through the joy of play (and the attendant stretching of comfort zones), a wonderful sense of friendship, support and community unfolds. Luckily, I get to be the Momma Hen, as well as director and chief pot stirrer, and reap all the advantages – and challenges.
Improv – the theatrical art made especially popular in recent months by Drew Carey’s “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” TV show – is based in the playful spirit of spontaneous invention and on overcoming any accompanying anxieties.
Our class premise is: Life and art are inextricably entwined. Making it up as you go along is a vital life skill, necessary for creative spirit, for meaningful relationships, for vitality and for self esteem.
Using theater games for warm-ups and building both artistic and communication skills, students improvise scenes from the utterly wacky and improbable to the touching and oh-so-familiar. I also inject state-of-the-art communications techniques, psycho-social healing exercises, a dash of breathing and mindful meditation and a touch of therapy – since I am a counselor, body-worker and hypnotherapist in private practice.
I began teaching improvisation as a self-discovery tool 20 years ago in San Francisco during my first career as an international night club entertainer. Over the years, I’ve found that taking back our freer expression opens us to “being” in life more wonderfully and authentically.
While working with seniors is relatively new for me, it’s perhaps the most challenging: there are physical/mobility issues, memory and hearing losses to accommodate, health issues that interrupt attendance and even deaths to weather and embrace.
Yet, for all the adapting of my curriculum that aging issues present, the rewards are huge. Older adults are so appreciative, often hungry for real companionship and real experiences and wise enough to tell the real from the superficial. The only “credentials” that matter to us are the satisfying results we co-create. Those who are regular attendees are really committed to the experience.
What a privilege it is to teach something I love so much that also broadens and deepens my life.
Editor’s Note: Singer’s credentials to teach in the Encore Program include a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from UC Berkeley. Those 55 years old and older can sign up for her class. Further information is available at (818) 710-2561.