From 25 to 27 June, older residents from Harrogate will take to the stage at Harrogate Theatre in Sinfonia: Stories from Harrogate, a new production by The Performance Ensemble shaped by local lives.
On stage, performers share fragments of their own stories. Some are fleeting moments. Others carry the weight of years. Together, they form a portrait of what it means to live, to remember and to grow older.
The Performance Ensemble has built a national reputation for creating work with older people that is direct, unsentimental and deeply human. There is music and movement, but it is the presence of the performers that stays with you. Their voices, their histories – and the sense that what you are seeing belongs unmistakably to this place.
Artistic Director Alan Lyddiard: “There is a culture that talks about ageing, but older people are very rarely listened to. Younger people usually decide what is good for older people. On stage. they are often reduced to stereotypes. What we’re doing is much simpler and more radical than that. We are a group of older people doing it for themselves. In Harrogate, we’re inviting people to speak for themselves, knowing that what they say has value.”
The Harrogate edition of Sinfonia is being created now, through a series of conversations with local residents aged 60 and over. These meetings are already under way and the company is keen to hear from more people in Harrogate and the surrounding area who might like to be part of the process.
For those who take part, it begins simply, with a conversation over a cup of tea. There is no expectation to perform. Some participants contribute stories that shape the piece. Others go on to appear in the final show. Previous versions of Sinfonia have received widespread critical acclaim:
★★★★ “Joyous, life-affirming… full of warmth, humour and Yorkshire grit.” — The Yorkshire Post
★★★★ “A beautiful piece of thought-provoking theatre… a real gem of a show.” — The Stage
Photography-by-David-Lindsay.
Main image: Pat-White-with-the-Sinfonia-company-as-part-of-1001-Stories.-
Title: Sinfonia: Stories from Harrogate
Dates: 25–27 June at 7.30 pm & 2.30pm on 27 June.
Venue: Harrogate Theatre
Tickets here.
