The Lismore Theatre Company is pleased to announce the next show in their 2024 season – The Heavenly Prize.

You put ageism and sexism together and what have you got? You’ve got older women becoming invisible, or at least their wisdom being ignored by a society that worships youth and beauty. Not exactly a prized lifestyle.

Observing this contemporary attitude, playwright Bette Guy was determined to write a play that captured the essence of what it feels like to still feel young on the inside yet look old on the outside. So, The Heavenly Prize came into being.

The storyline is simple. Two seventy-five-year-old women, Anne and Barbara, meet up to reminisce about what life was like in the swinging sixties of their youth, compared to their current situation in an Aged Care complex.

They do this with bombastic humour, touching on the protests they marched in, their family life, their years as teachers and the vibrant sex lives they enjoyed. Wanting to stave off the dreaded Dementia, Barbara enjoys playing games on her mobile while Anne enters as many competitions as she can. When Anne comes across one that appears somewhat weird Barbara thinks it might be a scam, but they enter anyway. Will they win or not? Throughout the play Anne and Barbara as young girls come alive on stage to illustrate what growing up decades ago was like.

“I wanted to show that the needs and desires of older women are as complex as any other human being at any other age”, Bette Guy said. “They long for recognition of their wisdom and to know that it’s okay for them to still want love in all of its forms.” The Heavenly Prize is a play that tumbles with humour amid the profound comments it makes about being an older woman.

(Rose Christmas, Tully Brednow, Jenny Craig, Kathryn McMillan. Photo: Daniel Cohen - DC Sports Photography.

Anne Brindley, played by Jenny Craig, is a feisty woman in her seventies who never gives up on anything. Having lived a very full life she is seriously proud of what she has achieved and yet can make a joke out of almost anything, good or bad. “I miss the love and attention I got when younger but I’ve still got my memories to look back on. And there’s always my best friend to chat with. That counts for a lot.”

Barbara Richards, the character played by Kathryn McMillan, has been best friends with Anne Bridley for around sixty years. “Anne can be a bit bossy but she’s been my rock. The older you get the more invisible you become. If that’s possible. Having Anne as a real friend has been a life saver.”

The Teenage Anne Brindley, played by Tully Brednow, has always been streetwise and strong-willed yet has always appreciated having her friend Barbara, being there for her. “Seeing myself at that ‘great age’ is a bit scary, but I like how she carries on as if she’s still young. I admire that. Nice to know she’s still somehow me.”

The Teenage Barbara Richards, played by Rose Christmas, feels lucky to have survived so well and for so long. She puts this down to the life-long support of her friend Anne, though it is her own quiet calm that has also helped. “Seeing myself as a seventy-five-year-old is both wonderful and bewildering.”

Theresa, the Carer, played by Kayla Elliot, was brought up to treat others as you would want to be treated yourself. This makes her a compassionate person, and she has grown fond of Anne and Barbara. “Their conversation sometimes has me in fits, but older women need to be seen and heard more often.”

This delightful play will be on at the Rochdale Theatre from September 27^th – October 6^th. Tickets are $25 each and $20 for concession and members. A fundraising performance for Beating Hearts of Lismore will be held on 28^th September.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.trybooking.com/CUFBX or via the Lismore Theatre Company website - www.lismoretheatrecompany.org.au.