Students from a Glasgow theatre school recently teamed up with a local Bearsden care home to create a unique, musical performance inspired by residents’ memories.
The Glasgow Academy of Music and Theatrical Arts (GAMTA), students and residents from Meallmore Ltd’s Antonine House visited each other over a period of eight weeks and worked in pairs to get to know each other by sharing stories and life experiences.
These memories were then used to help create a short musical, ‘A Fine Wee Lass’, which tells the tale of a young woman seeking adventure in a big city by leaving the Isle of Skye, her boyfriend and family behind.
After each practice session, the group would wind down by singing a few songs together, allowing Antonine House resident Elsa – a retired music teacher – to rediscover her love of the piano and play for an audience for the first time in many years.
The musical was performed in the Bearsden Baptist church in front of an audience that included the home’s residents, families and friends.
Samantha Dougan, Activities’ Coordinator at Meallmore’s Antonine House, said: “We wanted the residents, who share a love for singing and interacting with the younger generation, to be able to collaborate in a project with the school.
“It was really wonderful for us to see this idea come to life in such an exciting way, but it was even better to see the residents and the students working so well together and making friends.”
Sharon Graham, Principal of GAMTA, said: “I have a particularly close relationship with the care home as my mother is a resident there, so it was fantastic to be able to work together on this.
“It was amazing to see the pride and joy the residents and students took in the performance. This was a creative project that we hadn’t done before, and our students loved it.”
