Sheer Joy…

Lissa Of Joyrides on the promenade with ‘Betsy’, the electric bike, and two lovely clients snugly wrapped up against the sea breeze in gorgeous crocheted blankets.

We are preparing for Tragic Carpet’s first performance of Nosferatu at The Seagrove Centre next week. The Seagrove Centre is a great resource that provides support to people living with dementia. I am helping Tragic Carpet reach this new audience, an audience that often doesn’t get the chance to participate in high quality arts. The Seagrove Centre are very proactive about the members having high quality experiences, so Tragic Carpet should fit in perfectly, and I hope this will be the start of a strong relationship between the two organisations.

Hello. I’m Lissa McIntyre. I run a small business called Joy Rides which specialises in getting older people out in their local community. Joy Rides takes people on a spin on an electric bike around the green spaces of Edinburgh. Passengers get the feeling of the wind in their hair and the joy of being on a bike, without having to do the hard work. They get the chance to interact with myself, their fellow passengers and the outside world. Often older people, or those living in care homes can be quite invisible and isolated, but this experience puts them right in the middle of things and they get the chance to chat and interact with folks. 

The process so far is going well. We’ve found that care homes and agencies that work with older people and those living with dementia are really up for new projects and adventures so if anyone has an idea for a creative of fun activity you should just get in touch and ask them!

There is so much more I hope we can explore with this collaboration! I would love to see Suitcase Story performances happening in many more care homes or day centres so I will work hard to make that happen.

Lissa McIntyre – Community Engagement Support

Growing a New Class

Over 50s Drama Drop In at the Prentice Centre

Weekly drop in drama sessions for those feeling a bit isolated, or are looking to gain confidence in going back out again or are looking to find new friendships. 

What is it? 

A weekly session where we play fun games, tell stories and enact small scenes from different inspirations. We also organise trips to the theatre to see different kinds of interesting shows, so far we have visited the Festival Theatre, The Storytelling Centre and we have plans to visit the Lyceum soon. 

Questions you might ask: 

Ok, so what if I haven’t done drama before or I did and didn’t like it? 

The classes are respectful, inclusive and fun. They are built around us sharing stories, playing games which build our skills and confidence – great to transfer to everyday life – and anything we don’t like we don’t do it again. 

What if I am not very confident about going out now after the Pandemic? 

This is just the place to come to help you get used to getting back out again. The Centre is a safe place to find your feet and the group is friendly and supportive. 

What if I have done drama before? 

Then please come! The group is learning all the time so this is a place where you can refresh skills whilst having fun. 

Why Over 50s? 

Because we thought that there are people in the older age bracket that are struggling with loneliness and self confidence after the lockdowns. It is a huge step to take to come along to a new group when feeling like this, we know. So do come and try it out – you will probably find it a friendly relaxing experience and have a lot of laughs along the way… and laughter is the best medicine! 

Why have others come along? They came because they were curious, some had done drama before and they say “Honestly it is fun” and “you can express yourself”.

Poster with details of the class – Tuesdays 10 am at the Prentice Centre Granton

15 Minutes of Pure Magic!

This Sunday saw us at The Pyramid Anderston Glasgow as part of the Wee Theatres Glasgow: All you need is Love event. Freda O’Byrne directed ‘Out of Order’ by Alan Gillespie with Kirsty May Hamilton and Mathew Gallagher as performers. Below is some information about the Glasgow Wee Theatres initiative.

The most excellent poster designed by WeeTheatres

About the Wee Theatre Movement

Wee Theatres is a monthly event, hosted in different venues in Glasgow.  Staged in an informal layout, this format includes 4 performances in 4 different rooms, 4 times each throughout the night under the same theme. Lasting 15 minutes each showcase, Wee Theatres presents a very casual and intimate experience for audiences in a unique environment going to each show as they like. Wee is an affordable and different experience for different audiences; no matter their backgrounds!

This micro theatre idea started in Madrid around 2000 in response the economic crisis in Spain at that time. https://thetheatretimes.com/madrid-microtheatre/