Taking part in Ages and Stages, by Olympia Pattison-Corney

On my first day of Ages and Stages I had absolutely no idea of what to expect. We had been told about it in Youth Theatre and, thinking that it sounded interesting, I applied.  In the first session, as an ice breaker, we told two truths and one lie. So out came the incredible truths and the unfeasible lies. Guessing which the lies were was hilarious, and with that the void of ages had been breached. 

When I first applied to be in Ages and Stages I wrote on my application that I thought I could learn from people with more life experience. I have realised that in this I was naive. The older members of the group haven’t just had more life experience they’ve had a completely different experience of life. What fascinates me is that I’m hearing about things that I have never seen with my own eyes. Getting to know the older members I feel like I am able to begin to bridge the gap between the times and start to understand. I realised quickly that age isn’t representative of a person’s ability or personality but that it simply records the years that they have lived through. We were told the story of a 94 year old woman shopping in Hanley who when walking past a charity shop saw a piece of china that she had painted and saw her own signature on the back. Working with the group has taught me not to judge a person by their age or by what they’re wearing. As someone surmised in a group session “An old man in a hoody looks like a youth until you really look.”

I have loved working with the group and think that they are all amazing people. 

Olympia Pattison-Corney - Ages and Stages Theatre Company