Longevity Leaders Series: Dr Georgia Bowers

Longevity Leaders is Ageism Is Never In Style's blog interview series spotlighting fellow innovators shaping the future of age-inclusivity and the longevity sector and economy. 

In this ongoing series, we sit down with founders, thought-leaders, researchers, policy designers, strategists and visionaries and more who are leading in this sector - exploring their ideas, missions, and momentum as they pioneer longer, healthier, more vibrant and equal futures for all.

In this edition, we're delighted to interview Dr Georgia Bowers

Dr Georgia Bowers is one of the UK’s leading Creative Ageing practitioners and has been creating theatre with older adults for over a decade. Her research and theatre practice examines how theatre with older adults can challenge ageism and lobby for older people's rights and has been shared across Europe and North America. She is a Lecturer and Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Applied and Contemporary Theatre degree at the Guildford School of Acting, University of Surrey.

Georgia is also a fellow of the Centre of Excellence on Ageing, the Focus Group representative for the Wellness, Community and Aging Focus Group at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and a Trustee of the London Bubble Theatre Company. Her artistic engagements include the Royal Opera House, Chichester Festival Theatre, Brighton People's Theatre, Spare Tyre, Young Carers: Bucks, London Bubble, Hampstead Theatre, Almeida Theatre, Centre Point, Watford Palace Theatre and Theatre Royal Windsor. 

As a leading Creative Ageing practitioner, what inspired you to work specifically with older adults in theatre, and what have you learned from this experience?

My journey began in 2014 when I worked as an Activities Coordinator for one of the UK’s largest care providers. My job was to design and offer a programme of meaningful activities for the residents. After a while, I wondered what would happen if I started facilitating participatory theatre workshops. I had never worked creatively with older adults before, nor was I aware of the Creative Ageing movement, but I knew how much joy theatre had brought to my life, and I thought that perhaps I could share this joy with the residents. After the first few workshops, I noticed a positive increase in the residents' overall wellbeing as we laughed, shared stories, and developed characters. Through this experience, I decided to dedicate my career to creating theatre with older people. I learnt so much from that group of residents, and I always say they gave more to me than I could have ever given them. One thing that I learned from this experience which has stayed with me is never to underestimate older people just because of their age. Assumptions often stem from ageism, and that’s why it’s crucial if you are working with older people to recognise ageism and understand how it operates within oneself and grasp how ageism can be present within the practitioners work.

 I always say they gave more to me than I could have ever given them. One thing that I learned from this experience which has stayed with me is never to underestimate older people just because of their age.

Your research examines how theatre can challenge ageism. Can you share some examples of how your work has successfully shifted perceptions of ageing within communities?

One of theatre's greatest powers is its ability to bring people together to commune and collectively listen in a way that doesn’t happen in most public spaces. The theatre I co-create with older adults challenges ageist stereotypes and provides a platform for this community's wants, needs and desires to be heard. For example, when I was the Lead Artist for The Chatter Project at the Chichester Festival Theatre, we formed a performance that examined the group's everyday experiences of ageism.  Many of the scenes demonstrated the group's regular encounters with ‘Elderspeak’, where older people are spoken to as if they are children. When the performance ended, audience members reflected that before seeing this performance, they weren’t even aware of the term ‘Elderspeak’ and its negative impact on the individual. So, in this instance, theatre brought awareness to the term ‘Elderspeak’ and how it can manifest through social interactions.

When the public witnesses live performances that are made for, with, and by older adults, they see firsthand that old age doesn’t have to be a stereotypical passive existence where one is relegated to the margins of society. Instead, the older people I work with are passionate and active theatre makers who use storytelling to advocate for their rights. Through theatre they are standing up to ageism and redefining what later life can look like. This is something that I admire greatly about all of the older adults that I work with.

What do you believe are the most significant barriers older adults face in accessing creative opportunities, and how can we work to overcome these challenges?

I think one of the most significant barriers is where the activities are actually taking place. So often projects are happening at a venue/site that is either in a town or busy city, and that’s great if you are able to travel independently. However, if you can’t travel independently (and this may be due to financial constraints or mobility issues), this can limit participation in these activities. Alongside this, we also need to consider older adults living in rural areas and ensure that work is happening there or, if it isn’t, that community transport is readily available and that these projects are free at the point of access. In short, I think when planning community-based projects, funding bodies need to consider how they can not only financially support the activity but also access to the project.

Another barrier is the funding that is available for this work. Creative Ageing is a cousin of theatre with young people and shouldn’t be seen as being in direct competition. However, funding is more widely available for youth-based projects (albeit it is still very competitive to secure). Therefore, I would like to see the same level of funding opportunities be made available for theatre-based projects with older people.

In your experience, how does participating in theatre empower older adults, and what positive changes have you observed in those who take part in your programs?

I think participating in theatre offers older adults a platform for their voices to be seen, heard and valued, and the impact of this on the individual shouldn’t be underestimated. Positive changes emerge in many different and unique ways. I’ve seen many older people grow in confidence and make new friends, which expands their social circle and combats feelings of loneliness and isolation. Several of the older people that I have worked with have attended the project as they have recently been widowed. Therefore, the theatre group becomes central in navigating their lives without their loved one and aids them in managing their grief. My research discovered that engagement in regular theatre activities also reduces feelings of ageist-induced shame by stimulating shame resilience. Ageist encounters, such as beauty campaigns that encourage women to conceal the signs of ageing, can leave a person feeling high levels of shame, where one believes they are flawed, unworthy, and not good enough.  Shame resilience manifests among older people as participatory theatre generates feelings of pride, joy, laughter, connection, belonging and purpose. All of these are positive emotions that are the opposite to feelings of shame. Ultimately, theatre in later life is more than just a leisurely pursuit and now the time has arrived for Creative Ageing to be recognised and celebrated for its ability to generate multiple positive outcomes and higher levels of wellbeing in old age.

As a lecturer in applied and contemporary theatre, what insights do you share with your students about the importance of including older voices and perspectives in the arts?

As a lecturer who is training the next generation of Creative Ageing practitioners, I work closely with my students to raise awareness regarding their pre-established understanding of older people and identify how ageist tropes can seep into their practice. Together, we explore questions such as ‘What does ageing mean to you?’, ‘How does growing older make us feel?’ and ‘What are the first things that come to mind when you think about older people?’. I encourage them to challenge their initial assumptions and commit to the process of regularly interrogating how ageism operates within us all – something that I passionately feel all Creative Ageing practitioners and arts organisations should do.

Looking to the future, what changes do you hope to see in the representation of older adults in the arts ?

I firmly believe that older adults need greater representation both on and off our stages. We need more older people being cast in mainstage roles and these roles should be diverse and not just another opportunity to play an ageing Grandparent who is comical and forgetful. The arts must create, and programme work that truly represents our society, which has a rapidly growing older population. Therefore, theatre must embrace older people's voices, skills, thoughts, expertise and stories.

Find out more about Georgia and her work at www.georgiabowers.co.uk]

Instagram: drbowersgeorgia

X: @georgiabowers91