Assistant Professor Dr. Julia Henderson and Western Gold Theatre reclaimed the phrase ‘have a senior moment’ by creating a series of social media videos showing seniors participating in inspiring, joyful, and meaningful activities.
This collaborative project between Dr. Henderson’s Elder Create Lab and Western Gold Theatre, a company which is “devoted to centring the voices and stories of seniors and Elders,” was supported by the UBC Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund.
Recently graduated Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) students Nicole Morgan and Nikki LeClair were also part of the project team.
Western Gold Theatre is one of just two professional theatre companies in Canada devoted to supporting senior artists (55+) and intergenerational mentorship, with the motto “creativity has no expiry date.” It has been doing important cultural work raising awareness of ageism and ableism, and countering them through theatre and performance. In 2023, the company created a new play festival for emerging older adult playwrights called the Have a Senior Moment Festival.
The project team co-created a total of eight videos, posted on Western Gold Theatre’s Instagram and Facebook pages, which are also being used to support and promote the second iteration of the festival.
Moments captured in the video series range from sport and exercise, to dance, to hobbies and passions, aptly illustrating that seniors definitely have more fun!
Take a peek at the reels under #HaveASeniorMoment on Instagram, and be sure to celebrate having a senior moment more often:
- It’s time for a dip
- Everyone’s favourite sport
- It’s time to dance!
- Let the rhythm take you
- Keep making art
- Sometimes you just need to jam
- It doesn’t matter what age you are, speed is important!
- Spreading Creativity and Joy
Western Gold Theatre’s Have a Senior Moment Festival runs from October 17-20.