Oxford Playhouse has a long history of providing activities for the young – now there are workshops for the over-60s, discovers Nicola Lisle If you’re over 60 and looking for something to do this summer, the Oxford Playhouse has the answer. Its Spotlight workshops, launched a couple of years ago, offer retired folk the opportunity to explore what goes on behind the scenes.

“Spotlight was developed to open up theatre to people with an interest,” explains Maisy Ash, community engagement officer for Playhouse. “We recognised that not everybody wants to act, or has the confidence to act, so it’s more about learning about the place and how everything is put together, and giving them access to actors and the creatives on the plays.”

Spotlight workshops last two hours, including a light lunch, and take place for two days each month. Whenever possible, an actor from the resident show comes for a Q&A session.

“Last session we had one of our young company directors come in and lead them on an actors’ warm-up,” says Maisy. “So they warmed up their body and their voice.

“We’ve also been on to the set and looked at where all the entrances and exists are. It’s hopefully a nice mix of things, and I hope that people go away thinking, ‘I didn’t know that before, and now I do’.

“Ultimately, Spotlight is not just about theatre but also about being social. One thing everyone has in common, if nothing else, is a love of theatre. A lot of members come by themselves, so don’t be nervous about coming alone.”

One person who can endorse that is Susan Green, an Oxford resident and regular theatre-goer, who has attended Spotlight since it started. “It’s an opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting people you wouldn’t come across in your everyday life,” she says. “We’ve met writers, directors and very often an actor from the show who’s on the week of Spotlight. It’s also an opportunity to get together with a group of like-minded people, who have become friends over time. The people we’ve met from the Playhouse are always welcoming.”

The next workshops, on June 20 and 21 tie in with Close the Coalhouse Door, and will explore different kinds of regional theatre and how theatre can work in different places. The final workshops of the season, on July 11 and 12, focuses on Educating Rita.

“You don’t have to have any experience of acting,” emphasises Maisy. “It’s a lovely, open, trusting environment, where no one’s going to laugh at you. The brilliance of drama is nothing’s ever wrong!”

To book tickets for Spotlight workshops, call 01865 305305 or visit www.oxfordplayhouse.com