LOCATION: Melbourne
IN COLLABORATION WITH: Martin del Amo (director/choreographer) & Bec Reid (City of Melbourne)
WITH SUPPORT FROM: City of Melbourne's Art Participation Program
PARTICIPANTS: Ten local elderly folks / A group of young musicians from Living Music studio in North Melbourne
WHAT: Renegades aimed to break down existing stereotypes of elderly citizens by presenting their stories in a creative, positive and inspiring light. The show was full of surprises, jam-packed stories that showed the strength, confidence and humour of the elders. Stories of holocaust survival, being chased by police, hiding from tigers, and of course, love and divorce!
STAGE 1: Rose interviewed the elders about times in their life when their heart was beating fast. / STAGE 2: young musicians listened to the recorded stories and wrote music for them (there was quite a bit of hiphop!) / STAGE 3: the elders worked with Martin del Amo to make a movement based theatre show using the stories and music as the recorded soundtrack.
OUTCOME: Three performances at nightclub the HiFi Bar as part of Victorian Seniors Week.
FUTURE: A year after the show, the Renegades recently had an anniversary where participants expressed interest in doing another project. We'll be meeting in February to start ideas rolling. To be continued...
MORE INFO: ABC Radio National interview on Books and Arts Daily HERE
City of Melbourne Press Release HERE
City of Melbourne What's On HERE
