Month: March 2026

Do you love theatrical plays? Are you the one who sees several Broadway shows when you go to New York City? Have you ever watched a play and said to yourself, “I would love to do that!” Well, guess what…you can! Joining a community theater group after 60 can be very rewarding and even give you a renewed purpose in life. Imagine performing with like-minded people and entertaining an audience. 

But how do you get started joining a community theater group after 60? Keep reading, and you’ll discover a few ways that you can find theater groups in your community and how you can get started. 

Why Try Community Theater After 60

Joining a theater group after 60 can give you a renewed sense of motivation and purpose. Often, people who retire without an activity plan find that they are bored and lonely. 

Joining a theater group after 60 can boost your confidence, give you opportunities to create new friendships, and even be beneficial to your health. Memorizing dialogue can help with long-term memory, and being active on stage keeps your body moving. You’ll get to meet and play along with people of all ages and backgrounds. You can learn from others and even teach newcomers some tips and tricks. 

No Experience? No Problem

Most community theater groups don’t require extensive training or experience. They mostly look for people with a passion for theater and dedication to commit to a full season of a production. 

You may want to start with a behind-the-scenes role. For example, you can learn a lot by being a part of the costumes team. You can use the time to observe the actors and develop your skills. 

Tip: YouTube is full of tutorials, including stage acting tips and tricks. Watching a few video tutorials can help give you the confidence you need to go to your first audition. It can even help you understand your role better and how to perform the best you can when on stage.

How to Find a Community Theater Group

Finding a community theater group in your area has never been easier. With access to social media platforms, you are sure to find what you are looking for. 

Search for “Community Theater Group” in your area on Facebook, TikTok, and other social media. Also, you can use Google to do some research about the theater groups near your location. 

Of course, the old pin a flyer on a billboard is still a thing, so make sure to look for boards at your local supermarkets or other heavily visited places. 

Audition Tips

Auditioning for a theater production can feel intimidating. But if you prepare well and know what to expect, you won’t feel so overwhelmed. Some theater groups will have specific audition protocols, while others will be freeform and let you perform what you want. Make sure you know what they expect from you during your audition.

The best audition tip is practice, practice, practice. The more comfortable you are with your audition performance, the better chance you have of successfully delivering a good performance that will get you into the play. 

Again, YouTube tutorials from seasoned actors are great for audition tips. 

Beyond Acting

As we mentioned above, you don’t have to hit the stage from the get-go. There are so many other positions in the team that are equally important to the success of the play. 

Here are some positions to look into:

• Stage management
• Sound management
• Set design
• Costume design
• Lighting
• Makeup
• Ticket sales

Ask the theater group director what each role entails and how your skills can be put to good use. 

From Drama to Comedy

Do you have a preference for playing serious roles, or do you enjoy the sound of laughter erupting in the theater? Inquire about the upcoming performances and try to find a theater group that suits your interests. 

Do You Have What It Takes to Join a Theater Group?

Absolutely! If you have passion and determination, you have what it takes. Not all actors were born actors. It’s a skill that is learned with time and that becomes easier with practice. Make sure to give it your all, be open to suggestions, and be willing to take direction positively.

Start Your Own Community Theater Group

If you can’t find a theater group in your community, why not start your own?  Ask your group of friends who would be interested in creating a theater group, and you may be surprised at how many friends or acquaintances you have who have been secretly harboring the dream of acting in a play. 

Start by determining what type of production you want to perform and look at possibilities for venues. It doesn’t have to be a real theater with thousands of seats. You can put on a play in any place that can accommodate a set and some seats. 

Don’t be shy, get out there and put on your best performance!

Read more: 5 Reasons Taking an Acting Class in Retirement Might Be Good for You.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you enjoy acting? Have you ever been a part of a theater group? Are you thinking of joining one? What motivates you to want to perform on stage? We would love to hear your stories. Tell us about it in the comments below. 

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Amanda Batula’s Yellow Silk Crop Top and Skirt

Southern Charm Season 11 Reunion Looks

Kyle Richards’ Green Floral Pants and Yellow Top

Ciara Miller’s Pink Strapless Maxi Dress

Kyle Richards’ Light Flared Jeans and Blue Striped Cropped Shirt

Ciara Miller’s Tan Sheer Balloon Sleeve Top and Sunglasses

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If you step into your ideal self at age 95 and look back, what do you want to see? Is it a life of happiness? Of meaning? Certainly, you want to feel satisfied with the years you have lived and are living. I faced having to figure out how to be satisfied with my life when I turned 70; I had left full-time work and felt lost. There are many reasons for feeling unsettled, usually related to some kind of shift in our life role. I have clients much younger than 70 who feel dissatisfaction and thus find themselves searching.

Traditionally, happiness and meaning are the main ingredients to living what is called a “good life.” I want to sense that I’ve made a difference; that falls under “meaning.” Then, I’m pretty happy too! So, both happiness and meaning matter to me. What about you?

Recently, I ran across a new book and learned about yet another life dimension to consider when defining a good life for oneself. This book, Life in Three Dimensions, addresses the history of society’s exploration of what makes for a good life. The author has researched yet another dimension of a good life, psychological richness. The book caused me to take a closer look at what I assumed about what those of us over 60 are looking for in our phase of life.

Let’s explore what I learned. Then, I am curious if and how this expanded view of a good life fits your experiences and idea of living what you would consider a good life.

Good Life in a Nutshell

Most of us seek to be happy. In fact, happiness as the objective of a good life led to the field of positive psychology. We want to have a sense of well-being, that we are virtuous, engaged in life, and feel satisfaction. Eventually, positive psychology spilled over into our expectations of life as we age. We know that nurturing a positive view of aging can add years to life.

A branch spun off from the positive aging movement asserting that living a life with meaning leads to a good life. The focus on meaning is discussed in terms of autonomy, purpose, accepting oneself, and having positive engagement with life. For us over 60, this is more than achieving goals, it is finally blossoming into living the life that calls us from the heart.

What I had never considered is that happiness and meaning usually correlate, but not necessarily. It is possible to be happy and yet lack in meaning, and vice versa. Is that what happens when “life is easy,” yet we have no real structure to our days? I see meaning as personally defined; meaning rests upon whether you feel there is a point to your life. I am curious how you see happiness and meaning contributing to your life.

Now, let’s explore the new perspective offered by author Shigehiro Oishi, Ph.D.

A Third Way

“Psychological richness” is a third dimension to living a good life. For us, the importance of this dimension relates to living a life with no regrets. So, as your 95-year-old self looks back, she is pleased with what she has allowed herself to experience. It has often been said that we regret what we haven’t done much more than what we have. That is the point of psychological richness.

A psychologically rich life is one “rich in experiences.” The key question for us regards whether we are open to new experiences. Then, determine if the experience is new to you, shifts your perspective, or allows you to learn something. Can you feel the butterflies?

The idea of richness covers a vast array of possible experiences. For some adventurers, a psychologically rich experience in life may be moving to a foreign country. For others, it could be learning something new. Even reading books and theater can be such experiences. The point is that the experience leads to some kind of shift or growth in who we are or how we see the world.

What I notice about this dimension is that it can adapt to our life situation. At 65, perhaps visiting a culture very different from your own is attractive. Then, at 85, perhaps exploring new types of theater is compelling.

Have you watched a film or read a book that has caused you to shift your perspective or expand your thinking? Then, you have experienced psychological richness.           

Full Circle

Let’s circle back to the question of feeling satisfied with life. When I went through my age 70 confusion, I was looking for more than just being happy. Of course, that was a part of it. I was looking for meaning. The first place I looked was to do more of what I had done for years – teach. Doesn’t that have meaning? Yes. That didn’t ease the dissatisfaction at all.

Psychological richness explains what I was looking for and eventually found. What was wanting to emerge in my life required I explore new ideas and learn a new way to participate in the world. I had to learn to say “Yes” to opportunities and not assume that I was already a finished being with nothing new ahead. It felt both exciting and unsettling to not know exactly where I was headed for a while.

Thus, reading Life in Three Dimensions was psychologically rich for me. I now have a fresh perspective on one possible path out of dissatisfaction toward a “good life.”

Let’s Have a Conversation:

I’d love to learn about your journey into a “good” life. Are you like me and had to find your way through feeling lost? Are you still on your journey? What feels most important to your life satisfaction? Does psychological richness play a role? How?

When I’m scared of the dark I whistle or sing,
Which fixates and pixates each scary thing.
The scaries are lonely, but not when I’m there.
They know that my music means that I care.

I’m scared to go flying up high in a plane,
I’ve learned a neat trick that alleviates strain.
I plan farther ahead and ride on a train.

If I see some blood! Here’s a remedy quaint.
I put my head down ‘tween my knees and don’t faint.

When I go to the beach, I feel like a geek
(‘cause I don’t have a Swartz’negger’s psyseek),
I don’t go in swimming nor go for a prowl,
I lay on the sand beneath my beach towel.

While others might suffer from shedding their clothes,
I’ve never been sunburned (except for my nose.)

When I get crank phone calls, I hang up “toot sweet,”
And never go out without shoes on my feet.

When loud noises are fright’ning, I cover both ears.
And for fears of old age I subtract twenty years.

When movies are scary I simply don’t look,
Through “The Wolfman Ate Clevelend” I read a good book.
(If you keep your flashlight stuffed up your sleeve,
there’s a good chance the ushers won’t ask you to leave.)

I turn off TV when there’s news on my set.
About the reports of diseases we’ll get.

But when I visit Disneyland, PEOPLE WATCH OUT!

I ride the fast coasters! I scream and I shout!
I laugh at the pirates, you won’t hear me grouse!
I’m the first one in line for that old Haunted House!

I ride little things that twirl me around!
And cars hung on wires ninety feet off the ground!
I stay forty hours ‘til they lock up the gate,
And I’m back the next day at dawn. How GRR-REAT!

I wonder if perhaps some fears I could shed,
Knowing that like Disney, they’re just in my head?

All too soon I must leave, and go back to my house.
“Goodbye” to Frontierland. “Goodbye,” Mickey Mouse.
I’ll return soon for the thrills that I crave,
But for now it’s back to the home of the Brave.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Where do you feel bravest? What scares you and how do you overcome your fears?