Grandma Remember Me?
Fri, 17 Oct 2014 09:49:00 BST
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On Friday 10 October 2014, the School of Human and Health Sciences hosted two performances of the play Grandma Remember Me? by Az2b Theatre Company (www.az2b.co.uk) as part of their 2014 tour. This was the second time the theatre company had visited the University and this year’s audiences were not disappointed. The play was a jointly hosted collaboration between the School, Kirklees Council and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
In total we were delighted to welcome over a 160 people, at both performances. The audience was comprised of the general public (many of whom had either cared for or were caring for someone with Alzheimer’s), health and social care professionals, academics, students, voluntary sector workers, housing support workers and many others.
One of the organiser’s, Dr Berenice Golding said that she was delighted with the turnout and that “this was the second time that I have seen this play and once again I was incredibly moved by the story and the way that the impact of Alzheimer’s is portrayed in relation to the effects it has on the sufferer and their families. Seeing this through the eyes of a child, Lilly, makes it all the more poignant. At times you forget you are watching a play because as the story unfolds you are drawn into the lives of those involved. It is a very powerful, educational and informative piece of theatre”.
One audience member shared their perspective saying that it was “simply fantastic. For such a small cast and set of characters it really packs a punch. With the touching story and the brilliant acting as well as the set it adds up to make just an outstanding performance. At the end, through all the tears, as it’s such a touching and emotional play, you could hear people complementing the play”.
Whilst others said:
“Thank you for a brilliant performance. Thought provoking, educational and very powerful. So glad I came.” (Anonymous)
“Thank you so much! Fabulous interpretation, very moving. Would love to have asked questions, but could not speak. Will share with colleagues.” (Community Matron)
“A brilliant way to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and how it affects all the family. Well done, it was spot on!” (Dementia Support Worker)
“As a social worker it was a very worthwhile production – sometimes our job can be very mundane and due to work pressures and reduced resources, the person and carers can be forgotten. A gentle reminder is definitely needed. Well done.” (Anonymous)
“Very well acted and appropriate in today’s climate of an aging population. Have seen the play twice now and still learned more.” (Anonymous)
“It was amazing. Such an accurate representation of Alzheimer’s and its impact. This production should go into every school in the land. Brilliant script, acting and puppetry. Really well done.” (Anonymous)
The play was hosted in Quayside, University of Huddersfield and from an organiser’s perspective it was a tremendous success. It also led to some great networking opportunities and the organising team are now in the process of evaluating audience feedback. It is envisaged that this feedback will be used to assist us in further strengthening our partnerships with those in our community who may be caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or who are involved in supporting those affected and their families.
The next School of Human and Health Sciences public event takes place on Tuesday 19 November 2014. This will be the first of the lectures in the 2014-2015 Institute for Research in Citizenship and Applied Human Sciences (IRCAHS) Public Lecture Series. The lecture and official book launch will be delivered by Professor Nigel Parton who will discuss “The Politics of Child Protection” drawing on material and ideas from Professor Parton’s most recent book, The Politics of Child Protection: Contemporary Developments and Future Directions, published by Palgrave/Macmillan in March 2014. Nigel will demonstrate how over the last 40 years concerns about child protection have become increasingly politicised. As a consequence no serious attention is given to the nature and impact of the social problem of child maltreatment and how this can be overcome.
Registration begins at 6.00pm with the talk commencing at 6.30pm – 7.30pm. A buffet reception will follow this event. For further details and to reserve your free place please visit: www.uoh-hhspubliclectures.eventbrite.co.uk/
To find out about the full series of IRCAHS lectures please visit: https://www.hud.ac.uk/research/researchcentres/cahs/
