Abstracts
Abstract
Although expressions of aging and old age differ across other identity categories, they most often yoke aging to notions of deterioration and loss. Young audiences are exposed to this narrative of decline through wide-ranging cultural references in advertising, cartoons, fairy tales, children’s books, and theatre. However, various forms of theatre can also reimagine age narratives in positive ways. In this article, Henderson uses close performance analysis, analysis of archival video, and an interview with Vancouver theatre artist Chris McGregor to examine the Vancouver-based TYA puppet plays The Little Old Man by Theatre Bagger Arts Society and Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Axis Theatre. Both plays share a number of age-related themes and establish nuanced, positive messages about aging, older age, and intergenerational relations. By drawing on Steve Tillis’s theory of puppetry and Anne Davis Basting’s depth model of aging, Henderson argues that puppets can be used to interrupt negative age stereotypes and hostile age-related narrative tropes, and encourage children to reimagine old age, aging, and relationships with older people in complex and hopeful ways. In the case of these two plays, Henderson contends that they interrupt age stereotypes by portraying children and older characters as having agency, foregrounding positive intergenerational relations, and reimagining decline. They do this, Henderson argues, through their themes, aesthetics and performance styles, and the embodied performances of the handlers in conjunction with their animation of the puppets.
Keywords:
- puppets,
- aging,
- old age,
- older-bodied puppet,
- TYA,
- depth model of aging,
- temporal depth
Résumé
Les expressions du vieillissement et de la vieillesse varient en fonction de plusieurs catégories identitaires, mais le plus souvent, elles sont rattachées à des notions de détérioration et de perte. Les jeunes sont exposés à ce récit du déclin par des références culturelles très variées qui figurent dans la publicité, les dessins animés, les contes de fée, les livres pour enfants et au théâtre. Or, diverses formes de théâtre peuvent réimaginer les récits liés au vieillissement de manière positive. Dans cet article, Julia Henderson présente une analyse détaillée des performances et des vidéos d’archive des pièces The Little Old Man de la compagnie Theatre Bagger Arts Society et Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch de la compagnie Axis Theatre, deux spectacles de marionnettes pour jeunes publics présentés à Vancouver, de même qu’un entretien avec l’artiste de théâtre Chris McGregor de Vancouver. Les deux pièces partagent un certain nombre de thèmes liés au vieillissement et transmettent des messages nuancés et positifs sur le vieillissement, la vieillesse et les relations intergénérationnelles. Prenant appui sur les écrits de Steve Tillis sur la marionnette et le modèle d’appui du vieillissement d’Anne Davis Basting, Henderson fait valoir que les marionnettes peuvent aider à mettre fin aux stéréotypes négatifs et aux tropes narratifs hostiles liés au vieillissement et peuvent encourager les enfants à imaginer autrement la vieillesse, le vieillissement et les relations avec les personnes âgées, pour en faire des concepts complexes et pleins d’espoir. En examinant les deux pièces à l’étude, Henderson soutient qu’elles rompent avec les stéréotypes liés au vieillissement en montrant des enfants et des personnages plus âgés qui sont investis d’une certaine puissance, en mettant de l’avant des relations intergénérationnelles positives et en imaginant autrement le déclin. Selon Henderson, les deux pièces y arrivent grâce aux thèmes abordés, à l’esthétique et au style de jeu employés, aux performances incarnées des marionnettistes et à la manière dont les marionnettes sont animées.
Mots-clés :
- marionnettes,
- vieillissement,
- vieillesse,
- marionnette au corps vieillissant,
- théâtre jeunes publics,
- modèle du vieillissement,
- profondeur temporelle
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Appendices
Biographical note
Julia Henderson is a SSHRC-funded Postdoctoral Fellow with Concordia University’s Department of Communication Studies and Ageing + Communications + Technologies project. Her research involves collaborative performance creation with people with the lived experience of dementia or other types of age-related memory loss. Henderson’s background as both a professional actor and an occupational therapist enhance this work. Her work has been published in the Journal of American Drama and Theatre, TRIC/RTAC, RiDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Age, Culture, Humanities, Canadian Theatre Review, and the Thornton Wilder Journal.
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