Re-Live: News

News
March 2012 Training in Life Story Work 2012 Programme Launch We are launching our 2012 training programme this month. Supported by the Arts Council of Wales and The Baring Foundation, this training programme enables us to draw together the learning of our work over the past 6 years. From care homes in Cardiff to theatres in Dublin to older peopleπs projects in Japan, all the participants and staff members we have worked with have inspired us and taught us a great deal. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our discoveries and pass on our skills in Life Story work to others who want to work in this exciting and emerging field.
March 2012 Hearing the experiences of veterans in Wales We are in the research stage of a brand new project which seeks to explore the experience of war and the impact it has on the lives of those who go through it. We feel there is an urgency to capture the stories of men and women who experienced World War Two, as in the near future there will be no-one left to pass on these experiences first-hand. We also want to hear the experiences of younger veterans who have fought in other conflicts, and perhaps create a dialogue between men and women of different generations who have been to war. Bringing the personal stories of veterans to the stage will be the first of its kind in Wales. A live theatre show could be a powerful and creative way for them to share their diverse first-hand accounts of war time with an audience. If you or someone you know is a veteran who is interested in sharing their story, please drop us an email.
Oct 19th Ageing Artfully Conference in Manchester October 2011 The first national conference on the theme of arts, creativity and older people took place in Manchester Town Hall with over two hundred delegates. It was an exciting day of professional exchange and reflection on Arts and older people. Karin was invited to give a talk about her Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship to Japan, which included the changing culture of care and support in Japanese society, and the use of theatre and memory work to support and enhance the lives of older people including older people with dementia.
Sep 30th Dementia Awareness Seminar in Cardiff September 2011 Experiential training workshop - 'Experiencing Dementia' Re-Live were invited to design and facilitate a series of workshops for the first ever Dementia Awareness seminar held in Cardiff and organised by Social Services Development and Training Department, Vale of Glamorgan Council. The experiential workshop for care staff and managers was designed to give participants an experience of what it could be like to be living with dementia. Below is some feedback from participants. "Amazing. Re-Live really opened our eyes and made us think about how people living with dementia can be affected by the smallest things within their living environment. Itπll make me think a lot more about the setting where I work and the experience us care staff provide to people." Participant "A real eye opener. They (Re-Live) have a very unique and insightful approach to training care staff on this subject. The users of our service could benefit a lot from our staff being trained using Re-Liveπs unique style of training." Participant "I believe that the work Re-Live do is the way forward in dementia care training as they have the skills and experience to enable service providers to re-think the way the services are provided in order to achieve truly person centred care." Dan Morgan, Social Care Workforce Development Training Co-ordinator, Social Services Development and Training Vale of Glamorgan Council.
Sep 30th New Publication - An Evidence Review of the Impact of Participatory Arts on Older People. This independent review by the Mental Health Foundation was commissioned by the Baring Foundation and is the first synthesis of the evidence base for the effects of participating in artist-led creative projects on older people. It is based on 24 peer reviewed studies and a further seven good quality evaluations which have not been peer reviewed ('grey literature') and lists more than 50 other studies. It concludes that 'it is evident that engaging with participatory art can improve the wellbeing of older people and mediate against the negative effects of becoming older.' It explores these impacts in terms of mental and physical wellbeing and the broader effects on communities and society. Click here to download a copy of the publication http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/EvidenceReview.pdf
Aug 23rd Creative Homes: How the Arts can contribute to quality of life in residential care. This is a joint publication between the Baring Foundation, NCF (the National Care Forum - the umbrella body for not for profit care providers) and NAPA (the National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People). It is intended to celebrate existing good practice in the use of the arts with and for older people in residential care and to inspire more and better work. Click here to download a copy of the publication http://www.baringfoundation.org.uk/CreativeCareHomes.pdf
Jul 6th Stories to Leave sells out Chapter We apologise to people who were disappointed at being unable to get a ticket to see our recent performance of Stories to Leave. We had no idea this show would sell out so quickly! This was a very special evening, one audience member described it as "a privilege to have witnessed". The entire project, carried out in partnership with Marie Curie Hospice in Penarth and funded by the Arts Council of Wales has been momentous for Re-Live. A huge thank you to all who supported this ambitious project. (For more on this project visit Stories to Leave page)
Jul 6th Re-Live at Cork Opera House We were delighted to be invited back to the fantastic Bealtaine Festival in 2011, this time performing at Cork Opera House. A Story To Call My Own, which has been touring Wales this year, travelled across the waters and met with a wonderful response from the Irish audience. Our after show discussion confirmed our growing belief in the universal nature of the stories we tell. People in the audience who had grown up in America, South Africa and all over Ireland shared the connections they made with the themes of childhood poverty, racial prejudice and the search for identity and belonging. It was a very special visit and many thanks to Dominic and all at Bealtaine for making it happen. Also a special thanks to Gwanwyn, Wales’ festival of arts for older people for generously supporting the performance.
Jul 6th Stories on Night Out A Story To Call My Own has been touring Wales with the support of the Arts Council of Wales Night Out scheme. We had a particularly memorable night in Neath, where the warmth of the audience was palpable, particularly when Jeff utters his line “I’m a Neath supporter too!” We have two performances remaining of this very popular show, Galeri, Caernarfon 2.30pm July 14th (Box Office:01286 685 222) and Morlan Hall, Aberystywth, 7.30pm July 21st (Tickets - Carol Jenkins on 01970617996)
Jul 6th End of Year 1 of Baring Foundation Funding The first year of our partnership with Chapter, funded by The Baring Foundation has come to an end. We are delighted with what’s happened in this first 12 months, especially the fact that we have taken our work across Wales, to Ireland and even to Japan, and feel excited about the year ahead.
Jul 6th Training We are currently developing our training programme which will be launched later this year. Training events will include life story work with older people, working creatively with people with dementia, facilitation and groupwork in care settings.
Feb 14th We are delighted to announce we have recently been awarded an Arts Council of Wales grant of £25,000 to develop a new piece of theatre with older people. This show, which has the working title “Stories to leave”, will explore how older people feel about approaching the later stages of life. Do we rage against the dying of the light or do we embrace the next phase with all its uncertainty? What are the stories we want to take with us and what are the memories we want to leave behind? This show will be created in the spring and will premiere at Chapter in June 2011.
Feb 14th Our weekly Tuesday group at Chapter has got off to a great start. The group is open to anyone aged 60+ and is a place to share memories and stories and have some fun. One group member recently described the group as “the highlight of my week! A place where I feel I can really be myself”. On March 15th at 6pm there will be an opportunity for family and friends to hear some of the memories and stories from our group in an informal performance.
Feb 14th Karin is now back from Japan! Her travel fellowship from the Winston Churchill Fellowship Trust has enabled her to research best practice in using theatre to educate people about dementia related issues. She has been working with Dr Yukimi Uchide and her colleagues, and working and performing with Kesen Boke Ichiza Theatre Company in Ofunato, Japan. We are organizing a special event where Karin will present her findings, and we will facilitate a discussion on creative ways of enhancing the lives of older people in care in Wales. Watch this space for details on this event.
Nov 26th 2010 On Tues, Jan 11th 2011 at 11am (thatπs a lot of 11's) we will begin a weekly group at Chapter for older people who would like to share stories and memories, and have some fun. This will run on Tuesday mornings (11am-1pm) for 8 weeks. The group is open to anyone aged 60+ and the first session will be a chance to meet us, have a cuppa and find out if itπs for you. Please spread the word to anyone in the Cardiff area who you think might be interested.
Nov 18th 2010 Karin is now in Japan! Her travel fellowship from the Winston Churchill Fellowship Trust has enabled her to travel to Japan to research best practice in using theatre to work with older people. She is working with Dr Yukimi of Kesen Boche Ichiza theatre company in Ofunato. Dr Yukimi specializes in theatre with older people with dementia. We hope Karin will return to Wales with lots of ideas, as this is an area of our work we are keen to develop.
Nov 15th 2010 "A Story To Call My Own" packed out Chapter's theatre this month, and received a fantastic response. We were delighted to have such diverse audiences, the matinee audience had an age range from 15-93! Many thanks to the fantastic care staff who made it possible for older people from residential homes to attend the performances. An after-show discussion also took place where audience members shared their own life experiences and asked questions of the three performers. Feedback has been very positive, and plans are afoot to tour the show in 2011.
Sep 4th 2010 Hit show "A Story to Call My Own" returns to Chapter Theatre this November for three performances only. more information Tickets available now from Chapter Box Office 02920 31105 or visit Chapter website. link to Chapter website
Aug 12th 2010 Re-Live and Chapter are delighted to announce that they have been awarded a 3 year grant from the Baring Foundation to develop their theatre and memory work with older people. This will enable them to stage more innovative theatre shows, and develop their workshop programme at Chapter and in the community.
Aug 1st 2010 Karin has been awarded a Winston Churchill travel fellowship 2010. She is off to Japan in November to research theatre with older people with dementia. She will be working with Dr Yukimi Uchide who runs Kesen Boche Ichiza theatre company in Ofunato.

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