Arts Uplift Presents: Navigating Margaret – Malvern Cube on 24 and 25 March 2023
Navigating Margaret is a theatre production based on the real-life stories of Worcestershire residents living with dementia, developed during the first lockdown with funding from Arts Council England. Written and directed by International Director, Helen Tennison, the show beautifully brings Margaret’s journey through her life before and after her Alzheimer’s dementia diagnosis to the stage.
Margaret, a once quick-witted pilot, becomes increasingly forgetful and erratic, prompting her son Graham to encourage her to seek a diagnosis. As her condition progresses, she interacts with overlapping layers of the past and present, from her childhood in her family’s hairdressers to becoming one of the first airwomen in Worcestershire. With the help of a well-informed talking magpie, she begins to navigate through her condition.
The play artfully fuses naturalistic dialogue with abstract physical theatre, revealing complex elements of the neuroscience of dementia and decoding some of its mystifying behaviors. Featuring a mix of professional and community actors, including Illona Linthwaite, and a recorded choir of people living with dementia, Navigating Margaret is a celebration of Worcestershire’s rich history through the eyes of an extraordinary woman.
Jenny Davis, Director of Arts Uplift says “This play has been in the planning stages for 2 years so we are very excited to finally be able to present it. Dementia affects 1 in every 14 people over the age of 65 years so it’s an important subject to talk about. Age Uk Hereford and Worcestershire will be doing some Q and A sessions after each show to signpost people to information. The creative team we have on board is phenomenal, so we are excited to bring some theatrical magic to Malvern very soon.”
Further information is available on the Arts Uplift website
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