Olana and Ancram Opera House offer virtual Young at HeART playwriting course

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HUDSON – The Olana Partnership at Olana State Historic Site is partnering with the Ancram Opera House to offer the third course in its Creative Aging series, an in-depth playwriting course, for adults 55-plus.  The course will be offered as a live virtual learning experience.

The playwriting course will offer students the skills and techniques to create a dramatic monologue from start to finish. The series culminates in a performance, for which professional actors Darrah Cloud and Jeff Mousseau, will read student works during a live virtual event.

“We are thrilled to offer this important programming virtually during this time of social isolation,” said Sean Sawyer, Washburn and Susan Oberwager President of The Olana Partnership.  “We are grateful to Aroha Philanthropies for the funding to support the Creative Aging series and pleased that Olana can continue to inspire creativity and self-expression.”

“We will not let the pandemic stop us or our creative audiences,” said Emily Sachar, consulting Program Manager for The Olana Partnership. “Olana is deeply committed to the development of creative aging courses, and this is yet another chance for us to test exciting new ideas.”

The five-week playwriting workshop will teach techniques for crafting dramatic monologues, three-dimensional characters, and captivating narratives. Participants will experience their creation coming to life through the art of theatre and professional acting. This course also teaches the fundamentals of playwriting, performance, teambuilding, research, improvisation, and more.

All Young at HeART courses use Olana and documents in its archives as a point of inspiration. Students will learn about landscape painter Frederic Church’s love of ethnic costumes, collected on his travels in the Middle East in the 1860s. Church often used these historic costumes to add authenticity and a sense of place and time in his paintings.

Creative Aging courses are designed to engage older adults in participatory, professionally run arts programs with a focus on social engagement and skills mastery, according to the non-profit organization Lifetime Arts, a partner of Aroha. The creative aging movement responds to a major demographic shift in the United States. With millions of baby boomers entering their third act of life, creative aging has grown into a full-scale movement designed to provide opportunities for meaningful creative expression through visual, literary, and performing arts workshops.

The Young at HeART playwriting course runs Thursdays and Fridays from 10 AM to noon, May 21 through June 19.  To participate, students need to have a reliable internet connection and, once enrolled, will be given step by step instructions on how to access the live session. Students must plan to attend all eleven sessions, including an extra virtual rehearsal on Wednesday, June 17.  The cost is $150 per person.

To register, call 518-567-2170 or visit OLANA.org.




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