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.

A chorus of 35 older local people accompanied 6 professional actors and musicians to sing songs, tell stories and cavort their way through the truth and beauty of getting older.

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.

You joined us for CUPPA T – a series of 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 had emerged during the development of the production. Produced by 509 Arts in collaboration with BCB Radio.