Dementia awareness played out

Oldham Theatre Workshop rehearse for "Moments", which focuses on dementia. Left to right, Ollie Duke, Ciara Stott, Matt Horan, Tommy Douglas.

LIVING with dementia will be thrust into the spotlight this week as young members of Oldham Theatre Workshop perform a powerful and emotional play to raise awareness of the disease.

Oldham Theatre Workshop’s “Moments” is a story of three siblings who embark on a strange treasure hunt before learning about what matters most and how people learn to live without their memories.

Told through the eyes of the young and old, the cross-generational piece touches on living with dementia and draws on the experiences of young people from Oldham Theatre Workshop.

The play will be performed over eight nights from tomorrow until Saturday and then from Wednesday, December 17, until Saturday, December 20.

Craig Harris, applied theatre practitioner, said: “We wanted to change perceptions around the subject of dementia to see if we could find the person behind the illness, to remember that we are all individuals, and an illness is a label that does not define us.”

Performers, who range in age from eight to 25, are also among the youngest in the country to become Dementia Friends after taking part in a hard-hitting session, carried out by Oldham Dementia Partnership.

Oli Duke (11) said: “Taking part in a Dementia Friends session is really worth it for young people as it gives us a better understanding of what people are going through.”

Ella Lovelady (17) added: “Doing a show about dementia really gives us a sense of achievement. Being a Dementia Friend now, I feel like I can do a good job in portraying that in a sensitive drama piece.”

Success

Audience members will also be encouraged to take part in a Dementia Friends session before the Saturday performances on December 13 and 20, starting from 4.30pm.

It is hoped the event will build on the success of the Chronicle’s campaign to create 500 Dementia Friends in the borough before Christmas.

The play, at the old library on Greaves Street, starts at 7.30pm with tickets, priced £6, available from the box office on 0161-770 3240.

Anyone interested in running a Dementia Friends session in school should visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/youngpeople or email youngpeople@alzheimers.org.uk for more information.

Members of the public, businesses or local organisations who want to find out more about the campaign and how to become a Dementia Friend in Oldham should call Sue Neilson or Julie Eastham on 0161- 622 6637 or 0161-622 6525 or email sue.neilson@nhs.net.