Eighty-four fun-loving people attended Stagebridge’s 4th annual Performing Arts camp for Adults 50+ last week. What did they learn?

This ain’t no old fart’s camp. Bruce Bierman, dance workshop instructor, says his aim is to “remove the senior emphasis.” To be sure, some camp attendees needed physical assistance, and Bierman cleverly incorporates devices such as canes into his choreography. Difficult moves can be adapted by having dancers stand still and emphasizing use of the upper body.

Dare to fail. This became a mantra for the week, as campers faced new challenges, failing (and succeeding) in all sorts of wonderfully spectacular ways:
Learning to sing four-part harmony
Balancing a dollar bill in mid-air
Telling a story innovatively and
Joining Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks.

Take risks and accept all offers. Improvisation instructor Barbara Scott, said that older adults “are so over that ‘how’m I doing’ bullsh**…these people are alive and inspirational.”

Get your partner in trouble is an improv technique in which one asks a question such that one’s partner has to think really fast to keep the story going: “Hey, Jeff, what was that little song you used to sing? How about singing it for us right now?”

Looking and acting silly is actually fun. By the time campers had created their silly walks, impersonated Gumbies and learned the Lumberjack song in British Comedy class, they were beyond embarrassment…forever. Instructor Josiah Polhemus said, "if you're willing to have people laugh at you, they're more likely to laugh with you."

The best magic tricks are the simple ones. Campers’ jaws dropped as they beheld the amazing dancing ziplock strip and the jumping rubber band. (Sorry, all were sworn to secrecy by magic instructor Fred Casto.) Other camp magic included camaraderie and a two-hour show that came together in just 5 days. Amazing!

It’s OK to be loud and take up space. In Deborah Eliezer’s Vocal Impressions class, campers learned to imitate Hermione Granger, the Godfather and the Wicked Witch of the West—“I’ll get you, my pretty!”

A voice raised in song never sounds ‘old.’ Ellen Robinson, singing workshop instructor, said that she and Bruce are “working their way through the classic” musicals with their Stagebridge students. As unlikely as it seems, the elders have performed A Chorus Line. Universal themes were mined, such as their unique origins and how each one became the person they are today.

Celebrate your own story. Jeanne Haynes, storytelling instructor, says that “seniors come with a wealth of information,” and that “hearing [other people’s] stories resonates with our own.”

Say yes! In the safe and accepting environment creates by Performing Arts Camp instructors and staff, campers were able to do just that.

Attending this camp (the only one of its kind) can take a staid existence and shake the stuffiness out of it. Learning and performing here is like pushing the reset button in your mindset of what you can and cannot do at ‘a certain age.’

Stagebridge also offers year-round classes: stagebridge.org

If you want to go to camp next July, enroll early. Stagebridge accepts a limited number of campers. (510) 444-4755.

NOTE: This is a sampler of possible camp experiences. It is not intended to be an exhaustive account.