Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home-6583

Recently, I went to see Home Sweet Home written by Emma Adams and produced by Freedom Studios and Entelechy Arts, which got me wondering about ageing.

When we think about growing older what image comes to mind? Chances are (unless already in that group we label ‘old’) that it is an uncomfortable or scary view that focuses on what we will lose and give up, not what we might gain.

In an interview with Tom Kirkwood about his 85+ study, he says that 4 out of 5 people over the age of 85 rated their health as good to very good. Tom says that although people accept that we live in a world where there are growing numbers of older people, our attitudes are seriously out of date. He goes on to say that one of the big challenges is getting to grips with why people hold negative stereotypes about growing older. There are two aspects to this prejudice. Negative attitudes about our own future old age and negative attitudes towards older people as a group. Old codger, old bat, ‘coffin dodger’ – these are hardly complimentary terms. Surely seeing positive portrayals of older people  helps dispel some of these prejudices. Doesn’t it lift the spirits when we hear about astonishing things such as a 90 year old man has sky dived, or an 85 year old woman is a competitive gymnast and has a fit and healthy body. It gives us hope that our future old age could be like that. It helps us believe that  ill health is not an inevitable part of getting older. It reminds us what is possible.

Home Sweet Home showed us capable, funny and fit older people (who made up the community cast) which was bloody brilliant. Through heart warming stories clearly embedded in real events and a whole lot of thoughtful touches in the direction and structure of the production, they deleted the label ‘old’ and allowed the real people behind the stereotypes to be visible. This is an astonishing achievement and much needed in a society where old can be synonymous with invisible. Just to give you a little background, Home Sweet Home is the result of 2 years research with 200 older people from Ukrainian, Italian, Pakistani, West African and White British communities in Bradford, Stockton and London. Based on true stories of what it is like to grow older in contemporary Britain, this was a collection of interlinked stories of people in and around a Care Home told through music, dance and theatre. The play used 7 professional actors and a strong community cast of older adults from London, Bradford and Stockton who will also be going on tour with this production.

There was a lot to love about Home Sweet Home. It didn’t take place in a traditional theatre but in a Ukrainian Centre. Judging by the double take at the show billboard outside the centre by one passer-by, this is not something you usually see on Legrams lane in Bradford.

The design of the space was brilliant. Hannah Sibbai transformed the seating areas to mimic that of a homely living space. In each section there is kitsch wallpaper, old photographs, a vintage trolley and a friendly person on hand to welcome us, offer us tea and let us smell bottles of fragrances that added a visceral dimension to the story we were watching. The audience sat on all four sides of the space, so could see each other’s reactions. This made the experience all the more special. It examined the feelings of displacement and loss of identity that no longer having your own home can create. It looked at dementia, illness and loss. This was done with charm and enough comic moments to lift our spirits.

Emma Adams’ writing is beautiful. It has heart and soul and is clearly rooted in the experiences of real and diverse communities. Tom Wright‘s direction is thoughtful and inventive, and the performers are fabulous. The character Daadi played by Balvinder Sopal was a prime example of this comic genius. She made us broadly smile each time she appeared. Home Sweet Home took us on a very human journey that subtly invited us to let go of any preconceived ideas we might have about growing older. This kind of experience creates a spark that can change the way people think and feel about growing old. I will leave you with the words of an Entelechy community cast performer :

“Sometimes you’ve got to take risks for the unknown. You don’t know what you are going into but you’ve got to take that risk.”

Don’t worry if you missed Home Sweet Home, produced by Freedom Studios and Entelechy Arts, as it goes on tour to Stockton, London and then back to the Ukranian Centre in Bradford in September 2014.

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@Zoe_Parker is a dance and movement director, facilitator and writer working in the field of dance & dementia, disability and wellbeing. She is a qualified performance coach and one part of @Yorkslifeaqua.

Why not have your say about Home Sweet Home and/or ageing – what were your experiences if you saw this production? How do you feel about getting old? How do you feel about old people as a group?  Let us know in the comments box below.

One comment

  1. I loved this production. The depth of the research and verbatim stories was evident in the writing, and I thought the combination of professional actors and community cast worked really well – the personalities of the amateur actors shone through and was a real asset.

    I especially loved how Emma made a point about older people not being homogenous, which is a common problem with how people are dealt with by many of those who work closely with them (i.e. they’re all straights who love ballroom dancing and bingo). I’ve spent a lot of time working with older people and one of my favourite stereotype-smashing moments was taking the Nintendo Wii into sheltered housing to play tennis. One of the women hit a serve and piped up “Oh I used to love playing tennis back when I was a nudist…” – the shock on people’s faces was a picture!

    Well done to everyone involved – loved it.

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