They Are All at Least Seventy

Abstract

What are the strategies employed in resisting the pervasive narrative of ageing as a process of socio-cultural, embodied and cognitive decline? This article sets out to contribute to and expand the dialogue surrounding gerontological studies within the field of performance research, drawing on the oftentimes comparable and conflicting mediums of theatre and live-art.

With references to writers including, though not limited to, Maragret Morganroth-Gullette, Elinor Fuchs, Leni Marshall and Peggy Phelan and presented through an intersectional feminist lens, I intend to debunk the mythic decline-narrative and offer a radical and progressive interpretation of ageing as an empowered and empowering physical and conceptual space. Illuminating my research is the work of playwright Caryl Churchill, specifically the Royal Court production of her 2016 play Escaped Alone; Mexican and Spanish born (respectively) live artists Rocío Boliver and Begoña Grande’s 2014 duet, Balancing on the Edge/Age and finally the formally promiscuous work of Split Britches as well as the solo shows and community engaged practice of Lois Weaver.

At a time when societies are ageing at unprecedented rates and, in the wake of both the 2008 financial crisis and, more recently, Brexit, mutual intergenerational tension and resentment has become a defining characteristic of neo-liberal, Western society. This work aims to participate usefully in ameliorating the persistent ‘othering’ specifically of ageing or aged women, considering what role theatre, live-art and its practitioners may play in resisting this narrative.

Notes

1 ‘Between 2015 and 2030, the number of people in the world aged over 60 … is projected to grow by 56%, from 901 million to 1.4 billion’ and, given that women live on average 4.5 years longer than men, between 2010 and 2015, ‘women accounted for 54% of the global population aged 60 years or over and 61% of those aged 80 years or over in 2015’ (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division 2015: 2).

2 In referencing the work of Lois Weaver, I am making a distinction between her solo practice and activism and her work with Peggy Shaw as Split Britches, whose performances are also cited in this article.