Detectives and Dragons: playfulness, improvisation and reminiscence with a group of older women in Portugal

Abstract

This article presents an experience carried out in Portugal, within the framework of the community programme Aproximar Oeiras, with a group of ten retired women. Games, improvisations and reminiscence practices were undertaken with the aim of strengthening expression, active listening, cooperation and a sense of community. The work was grounded in critical reflections on the neoliberal and productivist logic that marginalises older people, and for this reason detective games and exercises exploring flows of concentration mobilised creativity and laughter, while at the same time fostering critical awareness and attentive listening. The practice culminated in an intergenerational performance for children at a local institution, in which the actresses, who also became playwrights, created a Christmas narrative centred on themes such as loneliness and communion. The performance reinforced the importance of encounters between generations and the appreciation of the multiplicity of bodies, voices and memories present in the ageing process.