How does a person with dementia experience the world? How can we better connect with people in the often-challenging environment of aged care? Find out through the Award-winning experimental theatre piece, The Fish Bowl, which touches down at The Loading Dock Theatre from June 19 to 23 for Qtopia Sydney’s Pride Fest 2024.
Exploring communication, ageing and identity through real-life stories of people living with dementia, the play celebrates the rich characters you find in aged care, the wisdom they impart and the ways in which communities can find creative new forms of connection.
Based on the diaries of an Australian carer, The Fish Bowl has been made in direct consultation and collaboration with a local Adelaide nursing home, where playwright Matthew Barker has worked and built relationships with patients, families and staff over the past six years.
While working as a Carer, Matthew has recorded conversations and written down interactions between healthcare professionals and residents from the home. These recorded interactions illustrate both heartbreaking moments of miscommunication and glowing moments of connection.
Speaking of the show, Barker said, “The opportunity to collaborate directly with residents, families and staff has been transformative.
“The Fish Bowl is a labour of love, a testament to the profound impact of human connection and a celebration of the diverse narratives within aged care,” they added.
“It’s a tribute to their strength, their humour and their unwavering spirit. It’s a joy to bring their stories centre stage,” Barker concluded. Described as “an important work which should be powerfully supported and, perchance, soon seen by every care worker in the world” by Barefoot Review, and the recipient of the 2022 BankSA Award for Best Theatre and Physical Theatre, The Fish Bowl is one not to be missed.
The Fish Bowl performs from 16 to 23 June 2024 at The Loading Dock Theatre, 301 Forbes Street Darlinghurst. Tickets are $35.
To secure your tickets and to view the season, visit the link here:
https://ticketing.humanitix.com/tours/qtopia-sydney-pride-fest
