Theatre groups boom among senior citizens in Germany

By Wolfgang Duveneck Jan 5, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Hamburg - Many people discover a love of acting after they retire. Experts say it doesn't matter whether they take up classic or modern theatre - performing gives people confidence and keeps their minds young.

'Senior theatre is booming,' said Tanja Eberhardt of the association of German amateur theatres, BDAT, in the south-western town of Heidenheim. About 70 groups belong to the association and it keeps growing.

No matter what the members perform - Shakespeare, comedies or dramas - the delight of the elderly people who participate is constantly increasing. Plays written by seniors are also riding high.

'The scope of the offerings is large,' said Monika Fingerhut, a member of a working group within the BDAT for senior citizen theatre founded in 1996.

The writers work through common themes such as love - then and now - conditions in senior living facilities and wartime experiences.

Many seniors give their creativity free reign in cabaret groups, while numerous courses are available to continue the development of theatre for seniors.

'It is both the artistic and the social components of theatre that make it so popular among senior citizens,' said Fingerhut. 'Because theatre can be successful only in a group setting, it offers a network to counter loneliness.'

People who belong to Germany's senior citizen theatre scene gather annually in the southern German town of Scheinfeld for a European senior theatre forum.

The actors and actresses who attend want to deepen their knowledge of theatre and work with up-and-coming directors or those who already have experience with senior citizen theatre groups.

Among the subjects at this year's forum was the confluence of theatre and dementia. Drama coach Joachim Henz spoke at the forum on how these two natural enemies were coming closer together and he reported about his experience with several large theatre projects.

Building on the experience of the Scheinfeld forum, the BDAT offers a qualification programme for senior theatre, supported by the German ministry for families.

Within this framework, several specialists in senior theatre - along with people interested in the area - met at the end of November.

Theatre of Experiences, one of the oldest senior theatre groups in Germany, joined in the meeting and performed a piece its members wrote called A Woman Becomes Lovely in the Kitchen.

'We've been a traveling theatre group for 30 years, offering performances by seniors for seniors,' said Eva Bittner, spokeswoman for the Berlin-based company whose name bears the subtitle Workshop for Old Talent.

The increasing importance and value of senior citizens' theatre was clear to see at a festival sponsored by the Koerber Foundation in Hamburg.

'Unlike theatre companies that operate for a profit, in senior theatre groups the aesthetic quality or the amount of work that goes into a performance are not at the fore,' said Karin Haist, one of the organizers of the festival.

'It is more about the age-specific possibilities for the non-professional actors and actresses than the process or their training.'

Theatre promotes both physical and mental mobility, creates successful experiences and boosts self-esteem. Bringing one's own life experience and personality into the play is also a way to participate with others in a social setting.

'No wonder more elderly people discover a desire to act,' said Haist.

Doctors also know that enthusiasm for theatre is valuable for senior citizens.

'Theatre helps promote the self-esteem that older people often are denied by society because of its emphasis on youth,' said Ann-Kathrin Meyer, head of geriatrics at Asklepios Clinic Wandsbek.

In addition, group performing makes a difference in people's lives because it prevents isolation.

'The theatre literally can return a bit of speech to a person who has begun to lose his or her voice,' said Meyer.

And people who suffer dementia are shown that even with such a serious diagnosis, it is possible to accomplish something.

'You can't retrieve what's no longer there, but whatever part of the brain is used on a daily basis can be maintained for a longer period of time,' Meyer said.

'Theatre is a good way to keep brain cells active.'