Age is a Stage

Age is a Stage is running its weekly interactive drama workshops for people aged 50 and over, with sessions in both Brighton and Shoreham. It's a drop-in group, so you don't need to commit to a full course — you just turn up when you can. The project is now in its eighth year, and the whole thing is built around getting theatre back into the lives of older adults through play and connection.

Participants describe it as a way of rediscovering their inner child, and many find they come away with more confidence in public speaking and in their everyday interactions. The workshops are led by Chris Cresswell, who's spent over 40 years teaching and performing across theatre, cabaret, circus and film. He's a strong advocate for the role comedy and theatre skills can play in healthy ageing and in combatting loneliness, and that's the spirit that runs through the sessions.

The Brighton workshops are held at the Theatre Royal on New Road, a Grade II* listed building that's been entertaining audiences for more than 218 years and is one of the oldest theatres in the country. The project also stages live shows built from the work done in the workshops, so there's a path from the weekly sessions to a proper performance on stage.

In Brighton, the sessions run on Fridays from 11am to 12.30pm at the Theatre Royal, and cost £12. There's a second group in Shoreham at the Ropetackle Arts Centre, which meets on Tuesdays from 10.30am to 12 noon for £11, with a £10 price for the unwaged.