Chronicles

2018

From its origins in 2018, ACT has not shied away from difficult subjects for seniors and/or our community. Our first production, Old Unfaithful, dealt with end-of-life issues faced by seniors and included a “TalkBack” following each performance. The initial one was moderated by a local Hospice organization and included help in completing one’s Advance Directive. The “TalkBack” is now a regular part of each ACT production.

Other performances in the first year included two sets of one-act productions. In April, 5 scripts were purchased from Senior Theater Productions, a publishing house which focuses on senior themes. September featured a baseball-themed production of three one-act plays: a reprise of a local favorite, Judgment Call, with its original local cast. Two other plays on the same bill, Brick & Bertha, and Adam, Eve and the Chicago Cubs were written by local playwright, Gary Young.

We ended the year with perhaps our most remembered production performed one night only, An Austrian Holiday Sing-Along, that featured the musical talents of a local family, the Riedls and their guests.

2019

ACT, in its second year, became the centerpiece of community theater for seniors in the Columbia River Gorge. It attracted patronage from individuals, families and businesses which allowed it to build a portable stage and construct sets, install professional theater lighting and sound, and attract a growing cadre of cast and crew members. Our initial patrons included our area’s two hospitals and a community foundation; all recognize the importance of creativity in improved health and happiness of senior adults. In the calendar year 2019 we returned to our senior theme with a production aptly named, Parents and Their Adult Children, a quartet of one-acts which featured many actors in their debut performances. In one, an eighty-five year old’s spot-on performance as an elderly mother who handcuffs herself to a chair in a hotel lobby in order to protest her daughter’s wishes that she move to a retirement community, brought down the house.

We continued 2019’s season with Short Plays by Local Authors featuring three adjudicated plays by local senior playwrights. We made plans to expand in the coming year, to feature senior playwrights in the Pacific Northwest. Following quickly on the heels of this production was a well received, single-evening performance of Singers, Songwriters Showcase featuring seven local musicians performing their original numbers which ranged from the whimsical to the sublime. We hoped to continue an occasional production of Songwriters Showcase throughout 2020.

Our concluding 2019 production was ACT’s Christmas Radio Productions, which revived three 1940’s-50’s classic radio scripts, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Gift of the Magi and Dragnet, the Christmas Show along with the return of a 1940’s local singing group, The Columbiaires.

Two, 2019 ACT productions must be highlighted, for their contemporary relevance: Love in 4/4 Time and CELL, an Immigration Story. Love in 4/4 Time was performed in May during Older Americans Month, in partnership with Area Agency on Aging, the Gorge Libraries, Providence Volunteers in Action, Providence Brookside & Down Manors, Hawk’s Ridge, Parkhurst House, Greater Oregon Behavioral Health and Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, all part of Dementia Friendly in the Gorge. The play looked at the personal issues of two couples and their Alzheimer’s/Dementia afflicted spouses. Caregivers and family members of dementia sufferers received complimentary tickets.

Evaluation forms were given to each attendee, with a 45% return rate. Each was then scored with the following point evaluation: Absolutely (4), Somewhat (3), Not-So-Much (2), Definitely Not (1)

    • Was the story interesting to you and the subject clear? Score 3.96
    • Does the play explore the subject well? Score 3.86
    • Did the play make you laugh, cry, think? Average Score 3.96
    • Did the characters and the dialogue seem natural, believable? Score 3.34
    • Did you learn or re-learn something from the play? Score 3.86
    • Was there a line, a phrase or a thought from this play that affected you? Score 3.57

Selected responses to the last question:

    • “There’s no going back.”
    • “What is, is.” (I wish I had taken notes.)
    • “I’m not coming back,” a poignant thought from one of the Alzheimer’s characters.
    • The difficulty of explaining to adult kids and their reaction.
    • The subject is intense & real, the parts of the play with laughter was indeed welcome.
    • I've always planned on killing myself when/if dementia starts, but I now realize that we don't always get to just "slowly slip away".
    • I really related to everyone’s frustration with this disease (Alzheimer’s).
    • This play touched me deeply. My mom was the caregiver for my dad while he slipped away with Alzheimer's, and I saw what a toll it took on her.
    • In real life, I had an aunt and husband with memory issues. This play was serious, depressing but funny too. You’ve got to have humor!
    • The play made me realize that there are (unintended implications) in one’s planning for death.
    • My mother cared for my Alzheimer father so I related to Carol…
    • The whole first act was right on. My dad has dementia, 3 years now, of waiting for his gears to slip.
    • I could see my parents in the characters. I was the daughter helping support my parents.
    • A very clear portrayal of a horrible, progressive ending.

The original script for Cell, an Immigration Story, was first produced by ACT in July 2018. The story focuses on the lives of three women - two sisters and a niece/daughter who work at a for-profit immigration detention center - examining their interaction with detainees, their employment needs and the ethical dilemmas that arise. Performance dates are scheduled for October 4, 5, 6.

Its playwright, and Hood River summer visitor, Cassandra Medley expanded the original script for a possible off-Broadway run. She has graciously waived all production and licensing fees. Originally, the play was written for an all-Black cast. ACT’s 2018 production featured an all-White cast, and the 2019 show was acted by all Hispanic persons, in a staged reading.

Immigration and race are ever present topics, as our area relies on agricultural workers, many of whom are undocumented. Many Hispanic families settled in the area years ago and are now a part of our community’s social and cultural fabric. This year’s production enhanced our opportunities to expand cultural bridges between our diverse groups.

Although ACT was started as a “shoestring” program, it has grown quickly, presenting both challenges and opportunities. Our productions have improved but we are quite aware that, as we take pride in our artistic presentations, improvements need to be made in equipment and training. Outreach too, needs to be expanded, and the means found to vitalize the lives of not only those involved in the productions but the audience as well. And, for every actor who sets foot on stage, a background cadre of lighting and sound crew, backstage workers, house support staff, ticket takers, set designers, costume coordinators, directors, producers, playwrights office personnel and management oversight are providing the necessary “unseen” elements needed to create a successful production.

Submitted by Gary Young, ACT Committee Chair and HRVAC Board Member.

(Secretary August 6, 2019)