On Monday, Noyes Cultural Arts Center’s Piven Theatre buzzed with excitement as seven old ladies (and one older gentleman) took to the stage for the 2025 edition of “The Old Lady Project.”
The Old Lady Project began in response to the Geena Davis Institute study “The Right to be Seen on Screen,” which found that women over the age of 55 are most often portrayed as “jokes, dying or senile” in mainstream media, said the founder of the project, Angela Allyn.
“There are almost 32 million women over the age of 60 in America, and we want to see our stories,” Allyn said. “We’re interesting, we’re vibrant. We have full and fascinating lives, and we are thrilled to present some of our stories.”
The project began three years ago as a city initiative supported by the Illinois Arts Council. In its third rendition, three short plays and five short stories were performed.
Each year, the project accepts screenplays and scripts it would like to see performed, and a committee of volunteers chooses a set of finalists, Allyn said. The finalists were read through by the actors and director Joan Mazzonelli, who chose the pieces they wanted to produce.
“It’s always fun. We’re all old ladies, so we probably talk as much as we rehearse,” Mazzonelli said. “Everybody can relate to the characters and pieces and have their own stories that are very similar.”
This year, the project selected “Yes Dear,” a shoe store scene with a humorous take on agism, “It’s All in the Game,” a fake ping-pong game that explores tales of life, love, marriage and Frank Sinatra and “Just Upriver,” which examines moral and political differences between friends at a retirement party.
Storytellers Amy Eaton, Diane Dorsey, Kim Moldofsky and Francesca Peppiatt also performed original stories based on their life experiences.
From a shark tale to stories of regret and reminiscence and a vulnerable story on the troubles of a post-menopausal body — the full-house crowd in the center responded with laughter and nods throughout the night.
Ana Maria Alvarez, who acted in “Yes, Dear” and “It’s All in the Game,” has been a part of The Old Lady Project since its inception.
She said she has been an actress her entire life and enjoys keeping her feet wet with the project, she said.
“It’s not just reading, you’re delivering the words and trying to put yourself out of character, and that’s always an exercise for me,” Alvarez said. “I just tried to just let the words happen. I didn’t feel like I was quite the right age for (the second play), but the words were ageless.”
Mazzonelli said that while roles for women over 55 are growing, they are still limited.In Chicago, there are several plays that currently feature roles for older women, Allyn said.
“I’m hoping that now that we’re in our third iteration, that we have a little something to do with that,” Allyn said.
Email: clarekirwan2028@u.northwestern.edu
X: @ClareKirwan31
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