The Memory Ensemble: improvising connections among performance, disability, and ageing

There is a recognised need for research that illuminates mutually beneficial connections among performance, ageing, disability theory, and praxis. One such project is the Memory Ensemble™, an improvisational theatre intervention for persons with early stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). This case study explores how the programme productively disrupts and expands notions of all three: performance, disability, and ageing. The mission of the Memory Ensemble is to improve the quality of life for persons living with ADRD through the intervention of improvisational performance; to investigate the benefits of this non-pharmacological intervention; and to translate these benefits to other communities.