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Newsletters [PDF]: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 AGM Notice
An Evening with Target 2009
Who we are. Founded
in 1986, Target Theatre has grown from a group of senior citizens interested
in the performing arts into an active theatre company of mature actors playing
their part as advocates for the elderly. Using drama as a teaching tool, this
troupe performs for health care professionals and lay care givers, students
and the public. Backed by a volunteer board of directors, and with the help
of an artistic director, the company is continually developing new material
as it finds its services more and more in demand.
Why we do it. There is an immediacy in the use of theatre as a teaching tool. People internalize ideas as a result of processing information in a way that is different from learning through lectures or reading.
Our audiences. Some of Target's performance pieces grow out of requests from health care societies, elder advocates, physicians, psychologists, nursing schools, seniors centres, high schools and general audiences. When a request is made, Target members begin to research and collect data on the subject. Then, through improvisations around the theme and by consulting professionals in the field, they build and script a scenario for performance. Other scripts, particularly those dealing with elder abuse and the empowerment of abused people, arise from members' experience and observations.
Some of the organizations for which pieces have been specially created are:
- Elderly Outreach, Victoria - Riverview Hospital, Coquitlam - Victoria Hospice Society - BC Alzheimer Society - Family Caregivers Network - Centre on Aging, University of Victoria - Vancouver Island Health Authority - Kidney Foundation of Canada -
Beside presenting their work in the Victoria area, Target Theatre has performed on Denman Island, Saltspring Island, in the province of Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary), the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and Coquitlam), and Washington State (Port Angeles).
Our plays. The company has more than a dozen performance pieces in its repertoire. Subjects such as elder abuse, aging, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, intimacy and sexuality in dementia, seniors' dating, injury prevention, incontinence, death and dying, and a revue performance woven around the World War II memories of Target members are treated with compassion and humour.
Our funding. Victoria Target Theatre Society receives its support from various sources. They include performance fees, grants, donations, and membership fees. The members of the board of directors and of the performing company all volunteer their time and energy, so funding for performances is solely for direct costs (director's fees, travel, accommodation, rehearsal space, publicity, programs, and props). The company is a registered charitable society and encourages your support through membership or by tax credit donations.
