Aukje de Vries' Diary Day 40

During the morning and afternoon nothing special happens other than that I receive a phone call about one of the organisations I am active in. There are problems and my opinion is asked about how to solve them. This gives me some food for thought for the weekend.

This is the day when Esther and I go to see the play recently written and performed by an older actor (in his mid seventies). Before we go there we have a leisurely meal in town, around the corner from the theatre.

The senior actor and the other main character, who is only slightly younger, do a marvellous job.

The actor in the play is (like in the actor’s real life) a famous actor who has played all the important roles in the well known repertory but now he is worrying about his forgetfulness. In the play we learn that he has led a rather wild life, his daughter has had a very rough time with her bohemian parents. Her mother now has Alzheimer’s disease and she must take care of her, which drives her crazy. She has also become an actor, but not a very good one in her father’s opinion. The second main character has also been an actor (in reality and in the play), but in the play he was not good enough to remain an actor so he became a prompter. Due to modern techniques prompters are no longer needed, so he feels like a misfit. In the dialogues there is a lot about the changes in the world of the theatre. Prompters are said to be better and cheaper than the new technical devices. The end of the play is quite surprising! In the hall of the theatre there is a display of pictures and photographs made by the two senior actors, which are quite good!

Don’t tell me that older people are not creative!