Long Wharf Presents The Ups and Downs of Life: Rising to the Occasion 9/25

Long Wharf Theatre's Education Department will be staging a production of original pieces created by residents of New Haven's Tower One/Tower East, on Long Wharf Theatre's Mainstage on September 25, 2011.

The show will be called The Ups and Downs of Life: Rising to the Occasion, a title inspired by the grand opening of Tower One's new third elevator. The Towers' long-awaited newest addition was the cause of much angst and merriment in its community. The show begins at 5 pm and is free and open to the public.

Tower One/Tower East is a distinctive non-profit apartment and assisted living retirement community located in downtown New Haven. The community, which opened in 1971 and expanded in 1982, houses 336 apartments, enclosed gardens and courtyards and offers senior citizens a full array of programs and activities.

Long Wharf Theatre began its relationship with Tower One/Tower East in 2009 with a successful staging of personal essays written by residents. Director of Education Annie DiMartino and Education Program Manager Corey Morrison met with a group of about 20 residents every other week during the 2010-11 season. "I am so pleased that Long Wharf Theatre is working with Tower One/Tower East again," Morrison said. "This is my first time working with the residents and I am struck by their vast life experience and their fearlessness in sharing their life stories and opinions."

Residents view their own personal experiences through the prism of Long Wharf Theatre's offerings. "We explore the thematic elements of each show and how it relates to their own lives and how the stories parallel one another," Morrison said.

The residents crafted monologues and essays reflecting on the works they had seen on Long Wharf Theatre stages, in addition to recounting the seminal memories of their own lives. These stories will be fashioned into monologues, which will be performed on the Mainstage September 25. The Towers' Choir and Modern Dance Troupe will also perform that day.

"It gives our residents the chance to see a play and discuss it, connecting it to their personal experiences. The program allows our residents a creative outlet - a place to reach within themselves and articulate things about their lives," said Rebecca Goodman Olshansky, Occupancy/Marketing Director, Tower One/Tower East

For more information about Long Wharf Theatre 2011-12 season, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282 or visit www.towerone.org or call 203-772-1816.

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