ABSTRACT
Ageing is institutionalised through administrative structures including pensions, the once legal retirement age and the medicalisation of old age. The theatre and performance practices within Performances of Age (UK) attend – with rigor, care and playful ambition – to the glorious human diversity concealed within the phrase, 'older people'. Two other key areas which bubble under more public discourse are how artists navigate their own age and ageing; and the cultural politics of older people as co-creators in this practice. The author attends to some recent projects and programmes of work to consider the cultural politics of this practice, particularly in relation to aspects of diversity and inclusion. The collection of chapters and interviews attends to a range of practices, reflecting both its imperative and ambition, and includes work based in a theatre building; work located in specific community contexts; and practices that engage with a range of public audiences e.g. touring, Lois Weaver and digital/films, The Lawnmowers.
