In August 2002, Encore made its national and international debut, traveling to Columbus, Ohio to perform in the International Senior Theatre Festival. Eliza had two previous festivals under her belt, and was thrilled to have the chance to show other senior performers what Encore is all about.

She chose eight seasoned troupers-- Norman Delue, Lois Diller, Mort Hyman, Marian Little, Carol McIntyre, Ross Phibbs, Sandra Rennie, and Helen Riddell--to represent the company. A tremendous outpouring of community support resulted in the donation of all ten airline tickets, as well as money to cover the rest of the trip's cost! We are so blessed. Here¹s a blow-by-blow account of the week we spent in Ohio, in Eliza¹s words.

Sunday, 8/18. 5:00 am!

Some very dedicated friends and spouses escorted the 10 of us to Eugene airport, the costumes and props disappeared with our luggage, and we were off! We arrived in Columbus, Ohio about 2:30, were shuttled to OSU, registered (for the 2002 International Senior Theatre Festival), and settled into our dorm rooms.

We were dined and entertained the first night, then collapsed. The next several days were a whirlwind. We met some wonderful people, attended inspiring performances and workshops and made exciting connections. We also had four opportunities to present different facets of Encore!

1) 9:00 Monday Morning:

"Bridges of Possibility: Seniors & At-Risk Youth" We had 50 minutes -- not long enough! -- to share how and why our program has expanded into personal theatre workshops with at-risk youth. Only about 10 people showed up, but they loved it. Stories of our experiences, illustrated by our wonderful 10-minute promo videotape (thanks to Lazy River Productions) were topped off by some of the interactive self-revealing exercises we're known for: presto...instant converts! And the word began spreading about Encore Theatre.

2) 10:00 Monday Morning:

"Funding & Developing of Senior Theatre"

Eliza participated on a panel with two other women, each of presenting her different methods of accomplishing the above. Very fun! Eliza could talk about the miracles of Encore's development for hours. She says, "I felt like one of those 'Do What You Love' motivational speakers!"

People seemed fascinated and inspired by our history--at least their questions and comments indicated that. It was a chance to pass along what we've learned, and also spread the word about our incredibly supportive community back home. Folks were amazed that half our budget consistently comes from individual donations, that our public performances are packed, and that our donors' frequent flyer tickets got us there! (That really got their attention!) We were reminded once more how special this community is, and how fortunate we are.

3) 4:30 Tuesday:

mainstage performance of "We're All History"

It was a pretty full house in the Bowen Theatre...a great theatre space for Encore (black box, with thrust stage). Eliza admits to feeling anxious--as Ross said, "Sure they love us back home, but they're family"--how would these strangers, these theatre pros react? Eliza said, "In some ways it felt like my own personal life's journey was up for judgment, as Encore is the culmination of so many things for me."

As the troupe performed Lydia's incredible songs and told their very touching personal stories, the house was often still, people listening intently. Many were focusing to understand the language; English was not everyone's mother tongue.

Eliza says she didn't breathe much for about 40 minutes. And then came the finale, the pause...and then eruption into cheers and a standing ovation! "I will never forget that. It worked, " she said

They got it and they loved it. Then there were lots of questions about our work with kids, and we were able to share more about what we've done here in Oregon in the last 5 years. We were all higher than a kite!

4) 4:00 on Wednesday: our showcase/demonstration, "In the Language of the Audience"

This was a very fun half hour presentation of how we create shows (8 so far!) and present the troupers' stories differently depending on the audience's age or type. (E.g., Ross's story about his abusive father evolved from a rap line in an elementary school show to monologue with song in the at-risk performance.)

In this showcase, festival participants saw lots of numbers from different Encore shows, demonstrating ways we reach different kids. High praise and appreciation goes to the "Ohio-8" for learning this very complicated "show" as well as "We're All History". They made us proud, and the audience loved it!

Again, we answered lots of questions afterwards about our work, and many people took information about our expansion program, in which Eliza and Lydia go help a group in another community create a show. Time will tell...

When we weren't performing or rehearsing, we were attending lots of incredible shows and workshops! Every day, almost every hour, different programs were presented by groups from all over the world.

Some of the high points:

*Roots & Branches, an intergenerational theatre company from NYC (ages 19-95), performed their wonderful original script. Playing Lear, by director Arthur Strimling.

*Henk Smit's dance company from the Netherlands, Vroegwijs (Earlywise) Senior Theatre, did two moving pieces.

*A reading of a moving political play by Doug Stewart, from Seniors Reaching Out (Santa Fe, NM).

*Seasoned Sisters: Dr. Joy Reilly (OSU professor and Festival Chair) and her women friends shared thoughtful, candid poems and prose.

*A workshop about using theatre for social change, by Act II Studio in Toronto. They create theatre as therapy for cancer patients, among others.

*Terrific tap dancing by two OSU deans...wonderful acting by two professors from Texas...a powerful production of a play about Alzheimer's, by Senior Repertory of Ohio...many movement workshops...the list goes on!

It was so wonderful to feel connected to an international group of people who share our love and respect for elders and theatre.

Everyone asks, "Did you see anything like Encore?" Yes and No. No other groups focus on sharing their own lives with kids, but many share our belief in theatre as a way to reach people and create change...and they are doing some very exciting things!

The best part of the festival experience? Depends on who you ask.

Possibilities:

*All the people who told us we had inspired them to go home and work with kids, to tell their own stories.

*The closing celebration. Imagine 125 people, average age ~70, from many different cultures, all dancing together, sharing the goal of a better world.

*The love and support of our Encore family, who made this experience and connection possible. We'll never know how far the ripples will go. Bless you.