History

TARGET HISTORY

In 1986, fifteen Victorians began attending a weekly acting class, called "Hamming It Up," taught by Sylvia Gamble. The students ranged in age from 50 to 80 years, and they attended for the fun of it all while learning a little about the craft of acting. After two years, apparently still having fun, the group began to evolve into a theatre company doing improvisational sketches for limited audiences. During that time they were twice filmed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and won a gold medal in the first cultural component of the British Columbia Seniors Games.

Before long the group received grants from New Horizons and the Canada Council with the request to establish a formal not-for-profit society. Thus Victoria Target Theatre Society was born, with class members forming the first board of directors. By 1989 Target Theatre was holding improvisational workshops and performing for gerontologists and caregivers. Workshops for school students taught some of the younger generation that seniors really can be active, thinking and fun-loving people.

As players gained confidence and performance skills they changed their emphasis from improvisational theatre to scripted works developed and written by the members themselves. Under the direction of Kate Wilkinson, who succeeded Sylvia, plays were designed as interactive teaching tools, aimed at both lay and professional audiences. The subject matter was largely determined by requests from organizations in the health care and social services areas.

It was during this time that the company began using forum theatre techniques to dramatize every-day problems associated with the aged. This form of "transformational" theatre is derived from Brazilian drama teacher Augusto Boal's theatre of the oppressed which addresses social issues in a practical way. Forum theatre dramatizes common problems in people's lives, but does not impose solutions or a specific point of view. Instead, audiences are encouraged to work with the actors in "playing out" alternative approaches and solutions to an issue. This collaborative process involves group discussion and improvisation.

Most of Target Theatre's scripts show varieties of dysfunctional behaviour, and it is up to the audience to pinpoint this and, working together, to improve situations for all involved -- patients, caregivers, and family members. When the request for a play production is made, Target players research and collect data on the assigned subject, sometimes based on members' own experiences and observations. Through improvisations around the theme, they eventually build and script a scenario for performance while consulting specialists in the field.

Currently, Target Theatre has 11 performing members -- all over 50 years of age -- a volunteer board, artistic director and business manager. Many local individuals and organizations have provided support to the society, including the City of Victoria, Capital Regional District (Arts Development), the Victoria Foundation, Victoria Silver Threads and James Bay New Horizons.