Cathy looks in the mirror and doesn't recognise whose looking back. The dinner party was supposed to be a special night but things get out of control.
"In the shop they didn't see me. They saw a warm cardigan and sensible shoes sort of woman."
The Experience of Being is a one-woman play written and performed by Carol Moore, about the stages of ageing. Let’s face it we are all ageing. And yes it's funny at times, you have to laugh, much like the play I hope, but I'm making a serious point. On reaching 60 and with a dirth of challenging acting roles, I began reflecting on how women of age, like me, are perceived. Suddenly fading looks render us quite invisible, our intellect assumed to have magically escaped us, our capacity to be vital and energetic, somehow minimised. Why? Because we haven't actually reached old age, yet we are made to ‘feel’ old - powerless. BUT ONLY IF WE ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!
We all know the arguments about why the arts deserves more funding, rather than year on year cuts. The reality is if you want to see live theatre, then individual artists like myself need to raise the profile of our work and market directly to potential audiences, to stand a fighting chance of getting our plays into production. This crowdfunding appeal is the first step to getting The Experience of Being closer to production and having a musician play live with me on tour.
Associate artists: Conor Mitchell (Composer), Oona Doherty (Choreographer)
I thank you in advance for your support!