A bold, candid and upbeat show which promises to get everyone dancing in the aisles is coming to Swanage in Dorset as part of a tour by the performing arts company Diverse City.
Mid Life is co-created by Swanage resident Claire Hodgson, who also performs in the show, which is at The Mowlem at 7.30 pm on Saturday 15th March 2025.
The show Mid Life opened at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth at the end of February 2025
Realities of getting older
It tells the story of Claire, who works in HR, but wants to perform a one-woman show called Mid Life in celebration of her 50th birthday.
Her performance, however, is soon interrupted, as others all have things they want to say.
The show explores the realities of getting older, the menopause and the experience of mid life.
Karen Spicer plays Karen, a frustrated slam poet who’s spent a lifetime fighting hard for equality for everyone
Not just for women
While it is performed by women, Claire points out that it’s not just for women. She said:
“We started the tour in Plymouth and there were men as well as women in the audience.
“The show talks about our female experiences but the majority of men live with women and the themes of ageing are universal. We are positive about getting older and I think men will find it relatable.
“Will men find it awkward? No, I don’t think so. The show is frank and it does talk about things as they are. There is a 13 plus age rating.
“We want all to come along and make talking about the menopause and ageing less taboo, and discussed more openly in our society.
“One in 10 women in the UK leave their jobs during menopause and women being economically inactive can have a negative impact on themselves and their families. Changing that would be a success for society.”
The women all have their stories to tell
Jacqui Beckford plays Jacqui, a British sign language (BSL) interpreter who has been interpreting what other people say but finds she has plenty to say for herself
Upset, identity loss and shame
The concept for the show started life in Swanage and Studland with workshops in 2019, drawing on the research of Isabel de Salis who investigated the experience and perspectives of menopause among 48 UK mothers through qualitative in-depth interviews.
The 10 year study found that while many women found the menopause to be a normal biological process, others saw it as a struggle, expressing upset, identity loss, and shame.
Out of the information gathered by the workshops, a show was produced and there was a sell out tour at the beginning of 2020, just before the Covid pandemic closed the theatres. Now it’s been rewritten and revamped.
It is performed by five women who are all different and all have different tales to tell. The actors, Jacqui Beckford, Karen Spicer, Judith Jacob, Ali Gordon, as well as Claire, all play characters but their stories are real.
Claire Hodgson plays Claire an overwhelmed mother aged 50 who wants to see if there is any hope of a return to her glory days as a disco dancing champion
Disco dancing through mid life!
“Fun, anarchic and different”
Claire said:
“It’s important to have new writing in the theatre. It’s taking the temperature of how the world is now. But it can take a long time to make.
“It gives a voice to women who are under-represented – those who are disabled, deaf, women of colour and lesbian.
“The show is also really fun, anarchic and different – you don’t often see five women in their 50s and early 60s mucking about, dancing and expressing how they feel!
“It’s about friendship, conflict and trying to work out who you are.”
Claire outside The Mowlem in Swanage
South East of England disco dancing champion 1982
Not only did Claire co-create the show, was the South East of England disco dancing champion in 1982, has an MBE for services to inclusion in the performing arts, but she is also the joint artistic director of the performing arts company Diverse City.
It campaigns for equity and diversity for the arts, believing all voices must be heard and all audiences welcomed. All shows are chilled performances, BSL interpreted, audio described and captioned.
It ends with a dance party for all to join in!
Dance party
So why will we all be dancing in the aisles at the end? Well like any good story there’s a twist, and after all it is Claire’s 50th birthday party and we are all invited.
So wear your best sparkly dance outfits and expect the auditorium to turn into a disco, hosted by DJ and former Eastenders actress Judith Jacob.
However it’s a chilled show, so no one is going to mind if spending time in the bar at a party is more your thing! This sounds like an epic Saturday night in Swanage to remember…
