This summer at London Bubble Theatre, we have been working with our older adults from Tea Break Theatre on an incredibly, fun and innovative drama project with Siana Bangura, writer and producer of the wonderful play ‘Swim, Aunty, Swim’!
Our project is divided into three phases to encourage our older adults of the West African diaspora to participate in drama, writing and singing, and culminate a Black British community theatre performance of their own.
Phase 1: A Theatre Trip to Coventry
We began by taking a group from our older adults’ Tea Break Theatre Group to The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to see Siana Bangura’s ‘Swim, Aunty, Swim’ with front row seats! The play explored ageing, motherhood, sisterhood, grief and the power of water.
After the play they were invited to take part in an exclusive Q&A session with Siana and some of the cast and crew. Our older adults had a blast on the day trip, taking many pictures and asking lots of questions about the character’s cultural backgrounds and resonating with the narratives shared.
Phase 2: A Parallel Theatre Project for Older Adults from the West African Diaspora
Phase 2 involved a free follow-up drama workshop for our participants, facilitated by Siana herself.
Taking place at Wednesday’s Tea Break Theatre space, Harry Lambourn retirement housing, our older adults had lots of fun responding to the play in the welcoming atmosphere. They learned how to dance Adowa, made new friends, chatted to new people, and enjoyed sharing their ‘grass roots’ with each other.
with thanks to:
"It brought about my background and where I come from, memories of growing up and learning how to dance Adowa and an opportunity to meet new people!"
"The workshop was very nspiring, it was fun, such fun [and] very creative!"
"What a lovely group! They made me feel very welcome. And I can't tell you how liberating and joyful it felt to dance with everybody."
- Participants
unique older adults, in total, attended the theatre trip and drama workshop.
- Sheddists
participants took part in Siana’s workshop and identified themselves as being from the West African Diaspora.
- Theatre
older adults came with us to the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to watch ‘Swim, Aunty, Swim’.
- Photo Gallery
