Engaging in creative arts is so beneficial to the many elders that Aldersbridge Communities serves. Connecting our residents with artists is a very therapeutic (mentally and physically) activity that’s great for enhancing their well-being and purpose. It’s also a wonderful way for folks to communicate expressively and socialize with others.
Our “Authentic Voices of Elders” program at Aldersbridge Communities is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. We thank them for their support once again of this program this year.
Last year, Program Founder Barry Marshall, a playwright and retired drama teacher at Moses Brown School, wrote a play called “The Two Helens,” chronicling the lifelong friendship of two of our Aldersbridge Communities residents named Helen. At a performance at the Seekonk Congregational Church, they sat on stage while two actresses played the role of each Helen, interjecting and commenting during the play to help share memories of their childhood, the war, weddings, and adulthood. It was at times funny, poignant, and always entertaining.
