• Home
  • Surprise Boxes
  • Photos
  • Testimonials
  • TimeSlips® Stories
  • Partners
  • More
    • Home
    • Surprise Boxes
    • Photos
    • Testimonials
    • TimeSlips® Stories
    • Partners
  • Home
  • Surprise Boxes
  • Photos
  • Testimonials
  • TimeSlips® Stories
  • Partners

Welcome

Welcome Welcome Welcome Welcome

Moments of Joy

Through the power of theatre, we strive to provide older adults, and in particular those with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, with the tools to build community, express themselves creatively and experience moments of joy.

Mission




We offer theatrical workshops with an emphasis on interactive storytelling and reminiscence, using multi-sensory activities.

Our offerings are designed to provide small group, individualized engagement where activities are catered to the participants’ interests, experiences and physical and cognitive abilities.




Photo by Michael Wilson

Our offerings

Surprise Boxes

Surprise Boxes

Surprise Boxes

Acting Our Age has created themed Surprise Boxes to engage isolated older adults and older adults in long-term care in meaningful  and creative activities during the pandemic. Our Surprise Boxes contain a variety of compelling, interactive items. Each box provides opportunities for Storytelling, Arts & Crafts, Music & Dance and Sensory engagement. Our goal is to deliver moments of joy for each recipient.

learn more

TimeSlips®

Surprise Boxes

Surprise Boxes

TimeSlips® is a multi-disciplinary approach to storytelling, developed by Dr. Anne Basting, that invites persons with memory loss to create stories (based on visual prompts) without the pressures of retrieving memories.

Laurence and Grace are both TimeSlips® certified facilitators.


read stories

Reminiscence

Interactive Storytelling

Interactive Storytelling

Reminiscence is the act of recalling and sharing one's memories. When used in dementia care facilities, reminiscence work often uses objects, sensory stimulants, and familiar physical routines to awaken memories. We understand that with dementia, memories are often conflated and may not be accurate. This does not matter in our work to create moments of joy! Reminiscence work is the jumping off point for participants' creative expression.

Interactive Storytelling

Interactive Storytelling

Interactive Storytelling

Interactive Storytelling is a drama-based activity, developed by Helen Wheelock of the Creative Arts Team (CAT), that promotes language acquisition and literacy, social development, critical thinking skills and emotional growth among early learners. 

Acting Our Age has adapted Interactive Storytelling for older adults with dementia and uses it as a means of shared storytelling, movement, music-making, and all-around creative fun.

our team

Grace Schiraldi

Grace is a teaching artist and dramaturg who uses theatre games, interactive storytelling, performance and sensory-based engagement to create moments of shared joy. She believes everyone can benefit from the human interactions and emotional release applied theatre practices can create. She has worked with older adults with dementia, incarcerated youth and adults, elementary and high school students, early learners and LGBTQ emerging adults. She is TimeSlips® certified and has a special love of Shakespeare and believes his works can be accessible and enjoyed by all.

Laurence Checler

Laurence is an actress, teaching artist, TimeSlips® certified facilitator, and a believer in the power of theatre to build community. She has worked with school-aged children and teenagers in NYC's public schools, Girl Scout troops, college students in Rwanda, and older adults in Brooklyn.

Laurence hols a BFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and an MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies.

Contact Us

Whether it's a question we can answer, a suggestion you would like to give, or an idea you would like to contribute, we would love to hear from you.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Acting Our Age

info@actingourage.org

Donate

Support us by shopping at places that donate a percentage of their profits to Acting Our Age. 

Do your online shopping on AmazonSmile and select “Acting Our Age” as your charity. 

Believe it or not, these contributions really add up!


go to amazon smile

Funders

Acting Our Age Surprise Boxes are funded in part by 

the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA)

Learn more

Acting Our Age Surprise Boxes are sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

Connect With Us

Copyright © 2022 Acting Our Age - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder