3-12 Oct 2025

Life Class

509 Arts

Every body has a story.
Everybody sings a song.

Event Details
Date 3-12 Oct 2025
Times Various times
Location Loading Bay
Access
  • Captioned
  • Audio described

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

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 is a joyful and sometimes serious look at the ageing body and the changes that happen to us as we age.

A chorus of 35 older local people will accompany 6 professional actors and musicians as they sing songs, tell stories and cavort their way through the truth and beauty of getting older. Join us at the Loading Bay for 75 minutes of older people showing off their best bits.

About 509 Arts

509 Arts is based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Our creative work is inspired by people and place. We thrive on open conversations and so we talk, we listen, we share ideas and then we make things happen. We are committed to the people we work with and to creating outstanding projects in sustainable ways. We use words and music, image and movement to describe the poetry of place and time. We are never predictable; we are always relevant. We sometimes work on big stages, sometimes in small spaces. Sometimes outdoors in the rain and sometimes in the darkness of a studio theatre. We have made books, operas, cabarets, epic monologues and digital playgrounds. We have dismantled cars, built giant bicycle wheels and taken audiences on walks through the woods at dusk. Pigeon holes are not for us.

Cuppa T

Join us for CUPPA T – a series of conversations about creativity and ageing taking place on the set of Life Class. Company members will be joined by guest panelists to discuss themes that have emerged during the development of the production. Produced by 509 Arts in collaboration with BCB Radio.  

8 & 10 October, from 3-4pm. Find out more below and book tickets.

Credits
Book and Lyrics by Alan Dix with Mike Kenny
Music by Richard Taylor
Director - Alan Dix

Chorus Director - Em Whitfield Brooks
Musical Director - Mark Goggins
Movement Director - Balbir Singh
Set & Costume Designer - Hannah Sibai
Projection Designer - Paul Slater aka Fabric Lenny
Lighting Designer - Simon Bedwell
Sound Designer - Ed Clarke

Cast - Tyrone Huggins, Tricia Kelly, Alwyne Taylor
Community Chorus of 35 local older people

Musicians - Mark Goggins, Rebecca Mills, Michael Bardon

Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

Supported by
Bradford Arts Centre
Theatre in the Mill
Arts Council England
Bradford Council

Access

Join our access scheme to view access tickets or contact our Ticketing team for more information.
Sign up

Content warnings – this production will include:

Smoke / haze

Projected images, animation, film

Flashing lights

Occasional swear words

Theme: the ageing body

Theme: death, loss and grief

Semi-nudity (the odd buttock)

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