Citadel Arts Group Dementia Friendly Panto

Citadel Arts Group are delighted to have the chance to bring our successful mini-panto, McScrooge by Alan Mountford, back to life this festive season.

Article Source: Citadel Arts Group
Last Updated: 4 November 2024 16:40

They first performed the show ten years ago in Leith and have always dreamed of reviving it to bring more festive cheer to other groups of people, of all ages and abilities. With advice from Dawn Irvine of Deepness Dementia, Willy Gilder and Agnes Houston, Citadel Arts Group has adapted McScrooge, making it dementia-friendly with increased audience participation – in the spirit of panto – and more music. The main change is that the arts group has brought Tiny Tim onstage as a puppet created by the inspirational Freda O’Byrne.

The play is based on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, but the setting is an Edinburgh care home whose proprietor is Ebenezer McScrooge, the meanest man in the city. Citadel’s Tiny Tim is not Dickens’ crippled boy with the crutch but a naughty wee laddie, the son of Marge, the care home worker. Tim was told to stay safe, but he cycled out on the street and came off his bike when the wheels caught in the tram tracks. Now he has his arm in a stookie, and his mother Marge is getting her jotters from the care home so it may not be much of a Christmas. Despite these small changes, Citadel Arts Group has been pretty faithful to the original and its message that it’s not money that makes for the real Christmas spirit but kindness, fun and singing.

The play opens on November 14th in Assembly Roxy as part of the Dementia Arts Festival. Then it tours around Edinburgh taking in care homes: Marionville Court and Ferrylee; dementia day care centres Corstorphine Jubilee Club and the Seagrove Centre, where audiences will include local primary school pupils from Carrick Knowe and St Ninians; Abbeyhill Primary, the Ripple (Restalrig Lochend Community Hub) and even Blossom Tree Nursery at Fairmilehead.

Todd Biolatti at the Ripple told us how much they’re looking forward to McScrooge: 'The 65+ Friday Club is very excited about the McScrooge play that Citadel Arts will be putting on for the group! It is so great to work with the amazing Citadel Arts Group and we are so thankful they are able to bring the theatre to our community, as it can be hard for some people in our group to make it out.’

Maureen Combe, Port of Leith Housing Association Sheltered Housing manager agreed: ‘Our tenants will really enjoy getting to see the Panto at Leith Dockers Club as they loved the other plays performed by Citadel Arts. Many of our older people find getting out to the big theatres challenging for many reasons. Having the opportunity to join in the festive celebrations in the local community is fantastic – massive thank you to all at Citadel Arts.’

McScrooge continues Citadel Arts Group’s mission to perform new plays by older writers and take live drama into community venues reaching audiences of all ages including those living with dementia.

The McScrooge cast are James Bryce as Scrooge, Ashley Barlow as Marge and all the other female characters. Citadel regular Mark Kydd takes on McMarley and all the ghosts. Mark also directs the panto. Sound engineer is Roddy Simpson and costumes by Susan Chaney..

The public performances are as follows:

14 November, 2pm at Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place
29 November 1.30pm in the Ripple, 198 Restalrig Road South
9 December at 2pm in Leith Dockers Club, 17 Academy Street.

All performances are free but please reserve a place from lizhare@blueyonder.co.uk

Citadel is grateful to the People’s Post Code Lottery and Garfield Weston Foundation for supporting these performances.

Image: Cast in costume

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