CUPPA T

Name: CUPPA T – 10th of October
Start: 2025-10-10T15:00:00+00:00
Location: Loading Bay

509 Arts

Conversations about creativity and ageing.

Past event

This event has passed.

These were a series of free conversations about creativity and ageing that took place on the set of Life Class. Company members were joined by guest panelists to discuss themes that emerged during the development of the production.

Produced by 509 Arts in collaboration with BCB Radio.

Cuppa T 1: 8 October

Themes: The Older Body – An Aesthetic Object (Not a Medical Problem!)

“Life Class is very much about looking at the ageing body. We’d look at old people in a particular way and you’d make assumptions about who that old person was, what they were like, not exactly very complimentary a lot of the time.

We all age in different ways. We become older differently. I’ve begun to think that the notions of beauty we carry around as an everyday concept are actually increasingly redundant as we get older. And, actually, we need to see the beauty in people as they are, in the same way you’d see a tree or a landscape. For me, increasingly, I see the body as a landscape. The reason it’s called Life Class is because the landscape of the body is drawn in a life class.” Alan Dix

The creative and performance team behind Life Class shared their inspiration, research and discoveries after exploring what it’s like living in an ageing body and how their music theatre production, Life Class, challenged prevailing perceptions of old people and the older body.

Panelists included: Life Class Cast and Chorus, Mike Kenny, Balbir Singh of Arts Council England’s Creative Ageing Peer Network Steering Group
Chaired by Alan Dix

Cuppa T 2: 10 October

Themes: The New Demographic – Burden or Blessing?

For the first time in human history we have reached a critical mass of people living over three score years and ten.

There are now more people in the UK aged over 65 than there have ever been, forming nearly 20% of the total population, whilst the over 50 population is currently estimated to be 38% (Centre for Ageing Better). The older age groups are growing faster with people aged 85 and over projected to double by 2047 to 3.3 million, or 4.3% of the population.

This ‘new demographic’ has never existed before in the entire history of the human race. What does it mean for the social, cultural and economic structures of the future? Is this a creative resource or a creative burden? What responses can be made when there is a significant (and understandable) focus on young people and youth culture in arts funding?

Attitudes towards older people are often predicated on the belief that they are the ‘lucky ones’ – the demographic that benefited the most from the post war reconstruction. Is this easy stereotype a block to cultural inclusion? There is a significant reservoir of creativity, talent and experience in older people – how can it be harnessed to build connections and reveal positive roles of older people in an increasingly divided society?” Alan Dix

Panelists include: Life Class Cast and Chorus, Balbir Singh of Arts Council England’s Creative Ageing Peer Network Steering Group, Elizabeth Lynch MBE, co chair of Creative Ageing: Development and Agency
Chaired by Alan Dix

LIFE CLASS

Getting old is a journey that takes a lifetime. It can be a surprise to find that your body has changed in so many ways but you still feel the same inside. Life Class was a joyful and sometimes serious look at the ageing body and the changes that happen to us as we age.

Black text on a white background: 509 Arts. Red lines bookend the start and end of the words, with a thinner red line between the two words.

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