Westfield Foundation to Fund Playwriting Residency for Senior Citizens

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced its first playwriting residency for senior citizens, funded by the Westfield Foundation. This is the third Premiere Stages pilot program the Westfield Foundation has funded, having provided previous support for the launch of the now successful Camp Premiere for high school students, as well as for the launch of Liberty Live, which is entering its third year.

Earlier today, Premiere Stages began an eight week in-house playwriting residency for residents of Sunrise of Westfield. The residency, modeled after Premiere's successful Play Factory program for K-12 students, will incorporate professional teaching artists and actors to create original works for the stage. Sunrise Senior Living, a McLean, Virginia-based company, employs approximately 29,000 people. As of January 1, 2014, Sunrise operated 290 communities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a unit capacity of approximately 26,400 units. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing and rehabilitative services. Sunrise's senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about Sunrise, please visit SunriseSeniorLiving.com.

Activities and Volunteer Coordinator Christine Harris is the founder of a weekly drama club at Sunrise of Westfield, and hopes the club has been successful in raising residents' awareness and appreciation for theatre in preparation for the residency. Ms. Harris arranged a field trip for residents to Premiere Stages' reading of the 2013-2014 Liberty Live Project, James Christy's At Liberty Hall, last fall, and is convinced the residency will align well with Sunrise's own philosophy, which is to champion the quality of life for all seniors and to bring joy to residents each day.

Premiere Stages' senior residencies are designed to provide artistic engagement and stimulation to seniors while helping to document and preserve family histories and memories through dramatic storytelling and narratives. The senior residencies provide structured theatre exercises, bolster self-esteem, improve vital creative thinking, and encourage and celebrate the accomplishments of participating seniors. The Sunrise of Westfield residency will culminate in a showcase of living histories produced by Premiere Stages using Kean students and professional actors and presented for Sunrise residents, family, and friends on Wednesday, May 7 at 7:00 pm. Seniors and family members will also be provided with printed copies of the plays. John Wooten, the Producing Artistic Director of Premiere Stages, will lead the residency.

"The aim of the residencies is to provide creative engagement and fulfillment to seniors while honoring and celebrating their legacies," stated Mr. Wooten. "I am very excited that the showcase of scenes will be presented as part of 'Family Night' and hope these plays will be passed down from generation to generation as part of each family's unique history."

Playwriting residencies are just one facet of Premiere's larger educational initiative, known as the Play Factory. Play Factory programming also includes the New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival, a statewide contest in partnership with Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey that showcases the work of New Jersey students ages 8 and up, and the Play Factory Performance Series, an annual summer performance series featuring dynamic, professional theatre presentations designed specifically for young audiences.

Premiere Stages is also made possible in part through funding from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Northfield Bank Foundation, The Westfield Foundation, The New Jersey Historical Commission, The Provident Bank Foundation, The Hudson City Savings Bank Foundation, Union County HEART Grants, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Union Foundation, E.J. Grassmann Trust, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance and through the generous support of individual patrons. Discover Jersey Arts is our marketing partner. Visit www.JerseyArts.com for more information about other arts programming happening around the Garden State.

Premiere Stages offers affordable prices, air-conditioned facilities and free parking close to the theatre. Premiere Stages also provides free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are fully accessible spaces, and companion seating is available for patrons with disabilities. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times; publications in alternate formats are available with advanced notice. Please call (908) 737-4092 for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. For more information, visit Premiere Stages online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.

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Additional Information:

To learn more about upcoming programming or join the mailing list, please call Premiere's administrative offices at 908-737-4092. Additional information is also available online at www.kean.edu/premierestages.

To view a calendar of all arts events at Kean University, please visit www.keanxchange.com.

Photo caption:

1. The Westfield Foundation will fund Premiere Stages' playwriting residency for senior citizens at Sunrise of Westfield.

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Heather Kelley Audience Services CoordinatorPremiere Stages (908) 737-4077hkelley@kean.edu www.kean.edu/premierestages
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