Hi Everyone,
I am a professional playwright based in Peckham and have recently been commissioned by Half Moon Young People's Theatre in East London. Half Moon are an established force in theatre made with and for young people, touring annually with plays for audiences in the 14 - 17 year old age bracket and working intensively with their local community and schools on various theatre-based projects.
My commissioned play is a story about the relationship between a mixed race teenager and his Caribbean father, from whom he has been estranged for three years and who is in his late 40s to early 50s, suffering from dementia. His father is being cared for by a young black teenager, with whom he has formed a strong bond. Over the course of the play a struggle ensues between the three characters which brings to light themes of identity, belonging, our responsibility and ability to care for others, and the link between the father's disappearing past and the son's faded aspirations for the future. Ultimately it is a play about self, and how our perspective on who we are is altered by what we remember, what others claim to remember about us, and how we depend on others to maintain our independence and dignity.
I am eager to hear about the specific experiences of younger people with dementia, and those who act as carers for younger people with dementia. The carer in the story is also not related to the patient in question, so I am particularly interested in why people might decide to become carers as well as those who are involved in it for other reasons.
I am also aware that there are particular problems concerning the myths surrounding dementia within African and Caribbean communites, and would be very interested to know about this in more detail.
Any research undertaken is for my own understanding of the issues at hand, rather than a search for stories to copy first-hand. Dementia, relationships with older people and caring for people with mental health problems are not issues that are tackled extensively in young people's theatre, and this is a great opportunity for me to engage young audiences across the UK.
I am searching for any responses at all to help me build up a more detailed picture of these particular issues.
The theatre's website is www.halfmoon.org.uk if you are interested in seeing more about their work.
Thanks Everyone!
I am a professional playwright based in Peckham and have recently been commissioned by Half Moon Young People's Theatre in East London. Half Moon are an established force in theatre made with and for young people, touring annually with plays for audiences in the 14 - 17 year old age bracket and working intensively with their local community and schools on various theatre-based projects.
My commissioned play is a story about the relationship between a mixed race teenager and his Caribbean father, from whom he has been estranged for three years and who is in his late 40s to early 50s, suffering from dementia. His father is being cared for by a young black teenager, with whom he has formed a strong bond. Over the course of the play a struggle ensues between the three characters which brings to light themes of identity, belonging, our responsibility and ability to care for others, and the link between the father's disappearing past and the son's faded aspirations for the future. Ultimately it is a play about self, and how our perspective on who we are is altered by what we remember, what others claim to remember about us, and how we depend on others to maintain our independence and dignity.
I am eager to hear about the specific experiences of younger people with dementia, and those who act as carers for younger people with dementia. The carer in the story is also not related to the patient in question, so I am particularly interested in why people might decide to become carers as well as those who are involved in it for other reasons.
I am also aware that there are particular problems concerning the myths surrounding dementia within African and Caribbean communites, and would be very interested to know about this in more detail.
Any research undertaken is for my own understanding of the issues at hand, rather than a search for stories to copy first-hand. Dementia, relationships with older people and caring for people with mental health problems are not issues that are tackled extensively in young people's theatre, and this is a great opportunity for me to engage young audiences across the UK.
I am searching for any responses at all to help me build up a more detailed picture of these particular issues.
The theatre's website is www.halfmoon.org.uk if you are interested in seeing more about their work.
Thanks Everyone!
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