The Memory Ensemble: improvising connections among performance, disability, and ageing.

There is a recognised need for research that illuminates mutually beneficial connections among performance, ageing, disability theory, and praxis. One such project is the Memory Ensemble an improvisational theatre intervention for persons with early stage Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). This case study explores how the programme productively disrupts and expands notions of all three: performance, disability, and ageing. The mission of the Memory Ensemble is to improve the quality of life for persons living with ADRD through the intervention of improvisational performance; to investigate the benefits of this non-pharmacological intervention; and to translate these benefits to other communities.