The Memory Ensemble: improvising connections among performance, disability, and ageing
Christine Mary Dunford1,2, Hailee M Yoshizaki-Gibbons3, Darby Morhardt4
1Theatre, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Research in Drama Education
|December 18, 2018
Summary
The Memory Ensemble, an improvisational theatre program, enhances the quality of life for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). This non-pharmacological intervention explores benefits for aging, disability, and performance communities.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Disability Studies
- Performing Arts Medicine
Background:
- Growing need to understand intersections of performance, aging, disability theory, and practice.
- Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) present unique challenges impacting quality of life.
- Improvisational theatre as a potential non-pharmacological intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how the Memory Ensemble program redefines concepts of performance, disability, and aging.
- To investigate the benefits of improvisational theatre for individuals with early-stage ADRD.
- To assess the potential for translating these benefits to broader communities.
Main Methods:
- Case study methodology.
- Improvisational theatre intervention (Memory Ensemble).
- Focus on early-stage Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).
Main Results:
- The Memory Ensemble program challenges and expands traditional views of performance and aging.
- The intervention demonstrates potential for improving quality of life in persons with ADRD.
- Exploration of the program's impact on disability theory and praxis.
Conclusions:
- Improvisational theatre offers a valuable non-pharmacological approach for individuals with ADRD.
- The Memory Ensemble model provides a framework for integrating performance, aging, and disability.
- Further research is warranted to translate and scale the benefits of this intervention.
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