Acting in a way different from usual requires the brain to respond to a novel set of stimuli, causing new neutrons to develop and adapt, giving drama protective qualities against cognitive decline. Creating and enacting scenarios with a drama group, in allowing individuals to improvise and develop significant or amusing experiences together, can act as a medium to alleviate depression, which may be a symptom when undergoing assessment for a potential dementia. As Sir Richard Eyre, the director and patron of Arts 4 Dementia, advises continuing the discipline of learning lines. “There’s no better way of exercising the brain.”

If you are involved with drama for creative ageing, are responsible for drama programmes or research, or are a social prescriber, or are interested in drama for brain health, join us for this free webinar on Tuesday 8 February 2022, at 10 am.

CHAIR: Dr Peter Bagshawe,

PANELLISTS

• Dr Sheila McCormick, University of Salford
• Andy Barry, Elders Co., Royal Exchange Theatre, Gtr Manchester
• Machteld De Ruyck, Leeds Playhouse
• David Workman, Artistic Director, Southwark Playhouse
• Jennie Marshall & Bee Burgess, Open Age
• Anna Woolf, London Arts in Health, London Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance
• Liza Jarvis, Regional Learning Coordinator, Social Prescribing Network (invited)

Our monthly A.R.T.S. for Brain Health webinars – Activities to Revitalise The Soul – hosted by Veronica Franklin Gould, in association with Sir Muir Gray, Director, Optimal Ageing Programme at The University of Oxford, welcome leading figures to discuss the role of arts in protecting against cognitive decline, how social prescribing to weekly exercise and arts activity as peri-diagnostic practice, at the outset of symptoms of a potential dementia, empowers people to preserve their brain health.

Following on from the publication of A4D’s report, A.R.T.S. for Brain Health: Social Prescribing as Diagnostic Practice for Dementia (2021) this webinar will offer an in-depth look into themes which informed the research. A useful source of reference is https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/applied-theatre-creative-ageing-9781474233835/

DR PETER BAGSHAW, chair, has been a GP for over 30 years. His medical interests include holistic medicine, mental health, disease risk reduction, metabolic health and dementia. In addition to general practice, he has worked as Senior Clinical Fellow at the University of Bristol, and is currently Clinical Lead in Mental Health, Dementia, and Learning Difficulties for Somerset CCG. For five years he was the Director of the South West Clinical Network for Dementia. He co-authored the NHSE “Older person’s Mental Health Primer” and is Mental Health and Dementia section editor of the online magazine “Chronic Conditions”. Outside interests include painting, quantum mechanics and karate (black belt in Shotokan Karate). His book Daggers of the Mind about an Art therapist in a psychiatric hospital using music to help people with dementia, is shortly to be published.

DR SHEILA MCCORMICK is a Senior Lecturer in Performance at the University of Salford. Having originally trained as a General Nurse, Sheila studied acting at the Arden School of Theatre before later obtaining an M.Phil in Irish Theatre and Film from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Her doctoral thesis explored British and Irish documentary theatre production between 2000 and 2010. With publications in Documentary, Irish, Applied and Political Theatre, in recent years she has developed her research to include her interest in performance and health, a subject explored in her book Applied Theatre: Creative Ageing (Bloomsbury, Methuen, 2017) and in her recent Practice as Research project Death, Dinner and Performance Project: A Study of the Efficacy of Performance to Enhance Conversations Around Death and Dying (2019).

ANDY BARRY is a theatre director and the Elders Programme Producer at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. The Elders programme promotes creativity into later life and challenges stereotypes about ageing. Participants take part in a wide variety of activities including regular drop-in sessions in play-reading, playwriting, and practical drama sessions. Each year we recruit for our Elders Company, a group of people over 60 who take part in a year-long programme of activities to develop their own artistry and theatre-making skills; graduates continue to take part in activities including working intergenerationally with our resident Young Company. During 2020/21 the Company was recognised locally and nationally through awards and award nominations for adapting its programme during the pandemic.

MACHTELD DE RUYCK is the Older People’s Programme Manager in the Creative Engagement Department at Leeds Playhouse. She specialises in Creative Ageing Practice, Arts & Health and Intergenerational Practice. As a theatre director she is most passionate about creating theatre for, by and with local communities and help to create pathways to performing and storytelling for those who might not otherwise access it.

DAVID WORKMAN is the Head of Participation at Southwark Playhouse, an off-West End theatre in South London. His role is to manage, develop and deliver a range of participatory programmes for people of all ages, with the aim of empowering and inspiring those who might not otherwise have regular access to theatre and the arts. He studied English at the University of Oxford, and has previously worked in the Education Department at Shakespeare’s Globe and the formal education sector, and is a governor of a school in south London.

JENNY MARSHALL is Head of Member Experience for Open Age, leading on the Arts, Cultural and social strategy along with overseeing centres in which Open Age operates and heads the associated teams that operate them. Jenny is known for building successful partnerships to promote social cohesion for older people and the arts. Open Age were one of the founding community partners as part of National Theatre’s Public Acts programme, Members’ Exhibits at the Saatchi and The Tate Modern and more recently, (showcased on BBC Radio 4), the ongoing partnership with The Courtauld Institute of Art, hosting series of workshops themed around journeys and a sense of place.

BEE BURGESS leads on Outreach and Support services targeted at those who may experience barriers to participation in Open Age activity. Bee has over 35 years and has experience of service development and programme implementation design and delivery experience in voluntary and community sector.

LIZA JARVIS biog t/c

ANNA WOOLF is London Arts in Health’s Head of Digital and co-regional champion for the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance in London. At LAH, Anna oversees research, marketing, networking and strategy and has led on a number of projects including the Social Prescribing Myth Buster and Partner Up website. Anna has worked in digital agencies for over 15 years on a range of marketing, social media and digital campaigns. Her PhD research at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is in collaboration with young people experiencing invisible chronic illness. Anna is a freelance lecturer for RCSSD teaching BA applied theatre; and as a theatre practitioner, has worked with Half Moon Young People’s Theatre, Box Clever Theatre, Talawa Theatre, Peer Productions and C&T Theatre.

SIR MUIR GRAY CBE, author of Increase your Brainability and Reduce your Risk of Dementia (2021), entered the Public Health Service by joining the City of Oxford Health Department in 1971. The first phase of his professional career focused on disease prevention, helping people stop smoking. He went on to develop the NHS screening programmes, for pregnant women, children, adults and older people and was appointed Chief Knowledge Officer of the NHS. He sewt up charities to promote urban walking and the Oxford based Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and Better Value Healthcare, publishing a series of Handbooks, including How to Get Better Value Healthcare. In a 50-year mission to help people live longer better and cope with ageing, based in the Optimal Ageing Programme at Oxford, he has developed a paradigm to help vompress morbidity at the end of life, reduce the incidence of dementia and frailty and therefore reduce the need for social care.

VERONICA FRANKLIN GOULD FRSA AMRSPH founded Arts 4 Dementia in 2011 to develop weekly programmes for early-stage dementia at arts venues, training, best practice conferences and reports, with a website to coordinate arts opportunities for dementia in the community. Her inaugural programme, Reawakening the Mind (2012-13), won the London 2012 Inspire Mark and Positive Breakthrough in Mental Health Dementia Award 2013. Veronica was named finalist in The Sunday Times Changemaker competition and on publication of Music Reawakening (2015), she was appointed A4D president. Her regional guide, Reawakening Integrated: Arts & Heritage (2017), maps arts opportunities for dementia and aligns arts within NHS England’s Well Pathway for Dementia. Veronica’s social prescribing programme (2019-21) opened with a conference Towards Social Prescribing (Arts & Heritage) for the Dementias (May 2019, Wellcome Collection). To address cross-sector issues raised, she piloted dance and drama social prescribing programmes to test the process and ran a series of 15 cross-sector conferences around the UK. Findings were disseminated in a two-day conference and report ‘Arts for Brain Health: Social Prescribing as Peri-Diagnostic Practice for Dementia’ (2021).