Play to tell stories of young and old pen pals
THE STORIES shared between students and older residents as part of a pen pal scheme are to be turned into a play to be performed in Leeds this week.
The play, performed by intergenerational drama group Generation Squad, is based on letters donated by pen pals from Writing Back at the University of Leeds.
The letter-writing project connects students and older Yorkshire residents as pen pals and provides them with the opportunity to meet up and continue their friendships.
Generation Squad have used the stories shared between pen pals as inspiration to write a short play,
which will be performed in conjunction with an exhibition of project letters and associated art work.
Generation Squad’s drama facilitator Sarah Goodyear said: “It’s been a privilege to read these real letters written by people of all ages and backgrounds across Yorkshire. One particularly inspiring older man had travelled to Antarctica and seen the Southern Lights –I’m thrilled we can share these amazing stories with the local community.”
Georgina Binnie, the project officer of Writing Back, said: “We hope that the performances and exhibition of letters inspire people to put pen to paper. Our events celebrate the joy to be found in friendships between younger and older people.”
Performances will be at Headingley Arts and Enterprise Centre (HEART) on Friday and Saturday and the exhibition will remain in the main hall until June 30. Tickets for the performance are available through HEART’s website.