LAYTON—In partnership with Heart & Soul and Plan-B Theatre, the Davis Arts Council (DAC) is bringing live theater to senior centers and other care facilities in Davis County. 

Heart & Soul has been doing music and programs for senior centers and care facilities, he said. “They do small concerts. They’ve produced about 1,400 along the Wasatch Front.”

They’ve partnered with DAC for 30 performances throughout the county, said Casillas. “We could not be more thrilled with this new partnership. Music has the power to uplift and unite and together we aim to create unforgettable experiences for our seniors, enriching their lives through melody."

The DAC program Senior Stages that has been live theater created for seniors started in 2016.

“Senior Stages started years ago with another organization, Walk-ons, inc.,” said Emilio Casillas, director of programming at DAC. “During the pandemic the program stopped. We’re trying to get the arts programming back into those communities.”

Casillas said they will be performed at no cost at six senior care communities in Davis County in a co-production with Plan-B Theatre, in partnership with Heart & Soul. 

“It’s three 10 minute plays for seniors, about seniors, written by seniors and their stages of life,” he said. “Some are poignant and some are funny.”

Two plays are written by Elaine Jarvik and a brand new piece by seniors in Plan-B’s writing workshop,” he said. “Laura Munts is the director and actors are experienced theater artists based in Davis County. Between DAC and Plan-B we were able to connect with artists. Some are old friends and some are new.”

Casillas said Heart & Soul helped with scheduling. “They are constantly in community centers so they can choose the best demographics.”

Cori Conners has been playing with Heart & Soul for a long time, he said. “She leads a discussion after each 10-minute piece. It’s been really lovely and gets the audience to connect more to the pieces they’re seeing. The whole program is one hour. The plays are as follows:

• In the world premiere of "Who's To-Dos To Do" by Laura Munts (created in the Creative Aging Playwriting Workshop), a daughter rushes to complete her daily to-do list while her mother struggles to complete her life.

• In “The Word You Used” by Elaine Jarvik, tensions rise as Nan tries to convince her father he needs to stop driving.

• In "Together at Last" by Elaine Jarvik, Ed visits his first wife's grave while his new wife, Patsy, gets more and more jealous.

“We’re very excited,” said Casillas. “Seniors have been very receptive and engaged in the topics, particularly pieces that are more comedically driven. We’re hoping next year we can substantially expand and bring the program all the way back.”