The Big Idea: Age

Friday 21 June The Big Idea: Age Curated by DC Moore and Penelope Skinner Double Bill: Do You Feel Too Old? Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 7pm Playwrights Penelope Skinner and DC Moore placed an advert in the Evening Standard asking simply ‘Do You Feel Too Old? Tell Us Why'. A collage of responses will be presented in this one-off verbatim piece in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Double Bill: Eighty and Over Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 7pm The Young Writers Programme has grown up! The Royal Court put out a call to find writers aged 80 and over. Over four weeks, twelve writers worked with Playwright Penelope Skinner and guest speakers at the Royal Court to write a short play about the world now from their perspective to be performed as staged readings in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. *Cast: Susan Brown, Sacha Dhawan, Noma Dumezueni, Gerard Horan, Lydia Wilson. Tickets £8 for both events. Late Night: Duke of Kendal Singalong Royal Court Bar & Kitchen from 9.15pm The Royal Court invites the regulars who sing around June Turvey's piano every Sunday night at the Duke of Kendal pub in Connaught Street to the Royal Court Café Bar for one night only. Free Entry “I am interested in questions of age, in how we use it, how we fear it, how we judge others according to it, in how we present it artistically - and in who is allowed to do so. “The Big Idea was initially inspired by the perception that in theatre, youth is worshipped over and above all things. That you 'have' to be young to get in. That older people will be ignored, unless they are already established. I think we have to take that perception seriously, because it seems to be a reflection of mainstream culture, and because our responsibility as artists is not just to reflect, but also to question. “In the beginning of our lives, how old we are is crucial. Babies have certain needs according to their age, and we have learned to predict when they should be talking, walking, etc. Once they get to school it seems a robust and fair way to categorise what children are taught, and when. “But once it ceases to define what we study, whether or not we can have sex or vote or go to prison, why do we continue to be judged according to our age? And while we sometimes hear of a past in which 'age' was revered, getting older now seems to be a point of fear for many of us. Maybe it used to be so remarkable, to live to an old age, that those who managed it were deemed wise. But now that becoming elderly is more commonplace, have we started to assume the opposite?” Penelope Skinner, Playwright