Old Age Aint for Sissies

Old Age Ain’t for Sissies – Opens Tonight!

Mixed Company Theatre’s Old Age Ain’t for Sissies opens tonight at the Tarragon Theatre’s Extra Space (30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto, On). Don’t miss this chance to see this brand new production created in consultation with over 150 seniors across Toronto and the GTA.

Show Dates & Times
Nov 27 @ 8:00 PM – $20 per ticket
Nov 28 @ 8:00 PM – $20 per ticket
Nov 29 @ 8:00 PM – $25 per ticket
Nov 30 @ 8:00 PM – $25 per ticket
Dec 1 @ 2:30 PM – $20 per ticket

How to buy tickets?
Online: https://tickets.tarragontheatre.com/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent379.html
Phone: (416) 531-1827
In Person at the Tarragon Box Office: 30 Bridgman Ave, Toronto, ON, M5R 1X3

About the production
The Cline couple will experience all the pitfalls and frustrations which confront older adults in their retirement years. Will they negotiate the shoals and reefs successfully? Will their marriage survive? Will they survive? The play begins with a retirement party. For some the party heralds a glorious new era of freedom and adventure. For others it sounds a peal of doom. The drama is punctuated with songs resonating with the determination of seniors who want neither to be dismissed nor forgotten. The production stars older actors with an array of backgrounds and experiences. If you’ve never experienced a piece of forum theatre, this is your chance to see how it works. This interactive play invites the audience to come on stage, take on the role of one of the characters and explore possible options to the issues presented.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about our senior programming, please call (416) 515-8080 or email info@mixedcompanytheatre.com. You can also check out our website MixedCompanyTheatre.com.

Life Gets in the Way Rehearsal

Life Gets in the Way, a First Impression by Carli Fink

Life Gets in the Way RehearsalBeing brand new to MCT, I had no concept of what to expect when walking into Tuesday morning’s rehearsal for Life Gets in the Way. My first observation was the people around me: two MCT staff, a very tall musician, and six senior citizens already joking with one another.

I quickly learned that Rex Deverell, a Chalmers award winning playwright, wrote the show and five senior performers plus MCT’s Artistic Project Manager starred in the show. While helping to set up, I caught them doing warm-ups and running line drills; their jokes made me chuckle, and their eagerness inspired me. Each was so friendly towards me, the newcomer, and seemed so comfortable with the many characters they portrayed.

The show itself is a collection of scenes conveying different elements of life as an older adult, and it begins and ends with the titular song “Life Gets in the Way” which has stuck in my head since first listen. Life Gets in the Way provides a forum for discussing the issues facing senior communities, including memory loss, technological difficulties, and institutionalization among others.

My two days in rehearsal were filled with laughter and learning, an interest in Mixed Company Theatre and its work come alive in a celebration of seniority. The people I’ve met thus far are nothing short of wonderful – welcoming, talented, and engaging – and I can’t wait to see what they do next. I trust they will continue to dispel the myths surrounding old age. Until then, I’ll keep humming “Life Gets in the Way.”

Carli Fink is a volunteer at Mixed Company Theatre and is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Queen’s University.