Senior citizens put on 'Perfect Day' play

CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this story stated Susan Barry said she wanted to show that the senior population can be responsible citizens and good Christians in this musical. She did not say that she wanted the musical to prove that elders wanted to be good Christians. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

No matter what your age, be prepared to be inspired by The ArtsCenter’s “The Perfect Day.”

A group of 12 senior citizens have come together to put on a show to abolish the senior stigma and to encourage their fellow seniors to get up and be active.

Susan Barry, director and playwright of “The Perfect Day,” said she wrote the play because she wanted to show that, contrary to popular belief, the senior population actually has a lot to contribute to society.

“We are really a creative, fun-loving, intelligent, experienced group of people who would like to serve in some way, and be responsible citizens,” Barry said.

Barry said the play opens with a retirement community where the residents are grumpy and out of touch with society. The conflict begins when something happens — something that will be a surprise to both the characters and the audience — that wakes them up and requires their contribution. Half of the play will be musical, with all original songs written by Barry, and half of the play will be dialogue.

“It is a very energizing show, and there’s audience participation, too, so we just want everyone to come and enjoy it with us,” Barry said.

Paul Stiller, the set designer and technical director who plays the role of technical genius Ernest, said that this play resonates with him because of its attempt to start the dialogue on the role of the senior in society.

“The whole concept of the play is to recognize and honor the concept that just because you are older than 55 years old, you do have the ability to do something useful every once in a while,” he said. “And it’s also up to you as an individual to get off your duff and do something.”

Stiller said the majority of the plays showing today depict people in their 30s and 40s, and there’s very little out there about people in their 60s. So with this play, he said, they hope that they can get the ball rolling.

“Maybe places like Galloway Ridge or The Cedars or Carolina Meadows or Carol Woods would say, ‘Gee, you know, bring that show out here and put it on for us.’ And then we’ll go out and talk to them and say: ‘Wouldn’t it be better if we help you guys and you put the play on?’” Stiller said.

That way, he said, they can begin to spread it along.

“They can find the cast … you know, do all that they have to do to do something useful for their fellow inmates — I mean, residents, residents,” Stiller said with a laugh.

Lyn Lamont, who plays Pearl, a woman who has Alzheimer’s, said she hopes this play will provide food for thought to anyone who comes, and she hopes it will help people turn their attitudes around about age.

“It’s easy to be negative,” she said. “It’s habit for a lot of us to go gripe, gripe, gripe, gripe, gripe, but I love it when I see people turn themselves around. It can be done. And that’s what these people do.”

Barry said she wants people to see that life is just a series of dots that need to be connected.

“Life is an incredible adventure, and it doesn’t stop when we retire and start something new,” Barry said. “It’s a continuation. Connecting those dots is a significant activity no matter what your age.”

arts@dailytarheel.com