There’s no question that often the spotlight, especially when it comes to women, tends to focus on celebrating youthful perfection. In fact, one could argue that the United States lags behind many other countries when it comes to valuing the experience, value and knowledge of our seniors
ob Tansley’s love of and involvement in community theatre began with a simple purity: He wanted to be a good dad.
His daughter, Brooke, had a passion for stage and dance, and thus he started producing and performing in shows
“They always needed an adult for the shows I played the Cowardly Lion for one. Me and my buddies volunteered,” he said Though Brook also did cheerleading, her dance lessons and performances started cutting into her dance time—earning her the nickname “Broadway Brooke” from her friends.
Little did they know that name would be prophetic. After many years of working in community theatre with her dad, including a joint production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” it became a reality
Brooke starred as Belle in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and as Penny Pingleton in “Hairspray.” She spent three years on the roster of Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizens Brigade and played a serial killer on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
Today Brooke has an independent filmmakingcompany, and her upcoming project couldn’t be more significant. She is documenting her father’s latest theatre endeavor—The Golden Years Theatre Company
GOLDEN YEARS’ FIRST PRODUCTION
Tansley and his wife Diane, who he said he could not do this without, continued working on children’s and later college community theatre at various Catholic schools in Waterbury and surrounding towns as Brooke grew up
Following the pandemic Tansley had an idea which he brought to his vital production partner Patrick Hearn.
“I decided I wanted to do a theatre company with seniors— to give a chance [to those] who’d never been on stage He said, ‘You’re crazy, but I’m in! Tansley said.
Tansley said he knew they needed help so he met with then Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary O’Leary was an old friend as Tansley had directed his daughter in theatre for 10 years.
“I WANTED TO DO ‘ANNIE.’ [IT'S] A GREAT SHOW TO DO WITH SENIORS— NO ONE WOULD EVER DO THAT WITH ALL THE ORPHANS OVER 60.” Bob Tansley
“He said, ‘I will help you in any way I can—it’s a great idea, Tansley said. His first idea for a Golden Years show certainly fit the bill for his concept, which was to do productions that weren’t normally stereotyped for a senior cast
Unfortunately Tansley couldn’t get the rights to “Annie,” so the team ended up going with “Grease in the spring of 2023. Out of the 28 60- to 80-year-old cast members in Golden Years’ premiere performance, 24 of them had never stepped on a stage before
“They were so nervous, and I get it I’m 74 and I’ve done a lot of shows and I still get nervous. And when you get to our age it isn’t so easy to remember lines,” he said.
But Tansley assured the actors there was nothing to worry about, and reminded them of the true purpose of these productions
GOLDEN YEARS THEATRE COMPANY GIVES SENIORS A CHANCE TO SOAR
“I told them if you forget the line the stage manager will discreetly remind you. If you forget the dance steps, just have fun with it,” he said. “I said, ‘Here’s the deal: No matter what you do, no one is going to think you are doing a bad job It’s not going to matter. Have fun—that’s all we care about.’”
“Grease sold out six shows at the former Blessed Sacrament School, now The Catholic Academy of Waterbury.
“It holds 300 and it was packed—we even opened the bleachers,” Tansley said.
To help assuage nerves on opening night, “I had them come to the stage up the middle aisle. Everyone was clapping and cheering,” Tansley said. The cast was astounded.
“THEY SAID, ‘BOB, THEY ARE CHEERING, & WE HAVEN’T EVEN DONE ANYTHING YET!’ I SAID, ‘I TOLD YOU, THEY ARE GOING TO LOVE YOU.’” Bob Tansley
‘PETER PAN’ TAKES FLIGHT
The most recent production put on by the Golden Years Theatre Company was “Peter Pan, complete with flying mechanics for the cast.
“We can’t do ‘Peter Pan without flying, Tansley said.
With the help of donations and “Broadway Brooke,” who used her connections when the original flying company fell through “Peter Pan” held six shows in July at the Rotella Magnet School in Waterbury In order to be inclusive and have performers ready to go, Tansley double casted all the main roles.
“We had two Peters two Wendys. When Peter Pan wasn’t Peter Pan, he was Nanna the dog,” Tansley said, laughing.
Tansley’s inclusivity goes beyond age, as one of his actor’s spouses relied on the use of a wheelchair Because of her limited mobility, Tansley and the production team wrote in a part for her as the on-stage narrator.
Once again, the performers were nervous but Tansley makes sure to set expectations for the cast and audience.
“I give a little speech at the beginning, explaining they are going to make mistakes, but do we care as a production? No! The point is to have fun, enjoy the journey, and the people that you meet,” Tansley said.
After the show, he was proved right, as noted by one cast member who forgot the words on stage.
“She just laughed, and so did the audience. Afterward she said, ‘You were right,’” Tansley said. >>
The Golden Years Theatre Company was conceived of by Bob Tansley and his partner Patrick Hearn It offers an inclusive chance for seniors over 60 to perform in onstage shows not typically offered to seniors. Photo by Golden Years Theatre Company.
T-shirt from the production of “Peter Pan.” Photo by Golden Years Theatre Company.
>> Currently the Golden Years Theatre Company is a not-for profit, currently operating in partnership with Brooke Tansley’s Folklight Film Club. Brooke’s currently working on a documentary about the “Peter Pan production and has filmed several parts of the process.
“The documentary is shaping up to be a story about people finding courage, confidence, friendship, and community in a season of life that can often be lonely or isolating,” Brooke said.
“Something that’s really sticking with me is that nearly every cast member we interviewed shared stories from their lives of tremendous loss or hardship, yet there they were, showing up to rehearsals and performances everyday with joy, energy, and love, she said.
Brooke said the perspective that has given me is priceless that there is more joy to be experienced beyond the hard things.
“Alongside the documentary, which we plan to distribute worldwide, we are developing a community toolkit to help other communities across Connecticut and nationwide start their own senior citizen theatre programs, she said.
Tansley echoed his daughter’s words.
“The beauty of this whole thing is that when you become our age, from 60 to 80 and on, you become kind of invisible,” Tansley said.
Beyond the stage, Tansley noted that now these seniors have formed bonds that last long after the curtain call.
“These people get together now all the time. They just had an event that included 42 people. They get together for lunch or to see shows There’s always conversation on our Facebook page making plans, he said.
Both the film and toolkit are being made with the support of the nonprofit fiscal sponsor, Folklight Film Club, and both are being made through the support of donors.
“This theatre company has been a life-changing experience for these seniors and the team hopes to would love to see seniors nationwide have this available to them,” Brooke said.
For more information or to see clips from the film or to make a donation visit WWW.FOLKLIGHTFILMCLUB.COM To find out how to be part of an upcoming Golden Years Theatre Company production, email Bob Tansley at bobtansley1949@gmail.com. n
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Twilightwish
wili twish
Making dreams come true for seniors
BY SUSAN SHULTZ
Atage 104, Farmington resident Bertha Komor certainly had led a full life. Her husband passed away after 72 years together, and in earlier years at her community, Village Gate, she helped other residents with activities there. Bertha was a popular community member. But there was one thing she hadn’t experienced yet in life—and she wanted to, because “they are adorable and my favorite animal,” she said
Bertha wanted to pet a penguin. Yes, that’s right, a penguin. Penguins are not known to inhabit residential Connecticut neighborhoods so that wasn’t as easy as it sounds. That’s when Twilight Wish stepped in. The non-profit which seeks to fulfill wishes for seniors was able to work with the Mystic Aquarium to provide special environmental transport to connect Bertha with her precious wish. This story, which went viral on media and was even covered by People Magazine, is only one of so many that the organization has made possible.
Andrea Hoisl is the Chapter Director of the Twilight Wish Central Connecticut Chapter. The organization founder, Cass Forkin, said she always felt that she was destined to help others. She began to feel led to work with seniors after working in several eldercare facilities and noticing that many never get a visitor Then in 2001, she was in a diner and witnessed several senior ladies having lunch together counting their money to pay. Forkin opted to pay for their lunch. When the seniors found out she had done so, they hugged and thanked her “We didn’t know there were people like you and anymore,” they said.
Eventually, a light bulb went off that there was no non-profit that made wishes come true for seniors. She filed paperwork to get Twilight Wish incorporated in 2003 in Pennsylvania.
Currently the bulk of chapters are in Pennsylvania, and it is still growing In addition to CT there are several chapters covering New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and DC and the criteria to submit is ages 65 and over Forkin was recently chosen as a Loreal Woman of Worth Honoree in 2023 for her work with Twilight Wish
CT CHAPTER
Andrea Hoisl first came to learn about the organization when she saw a story about a Connecticut woman who had relocated to California and wanted to reunite with her two sisters in her home state
“They were all in their 80’s and the sister also needed a health aide to travel safely,” she said. Twilight Wish made it happen
“I realized there were no chapters in New England of this great organization, she said. Hoisl runs the Western CT Chapter on a volunteer basis and has a network of other volunteers throughout the state to help facilitate
THE PROCESS
Wishes can either be submitted by the recipient or can be asked on someone else’s behalf The wish is submitted and then a central committee reviews them, and approved wishes are then sent to the relevant chapter to help execute.
How You Can Help
WHETHER IT’S A NEW BED OR A HORSE-DRAWN SLED, THIS NONPROFIT CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
Though it is all based on volunteer work, Hoisl said often the wishes take on a life of their own and the community comes together
A recent example is Norman Bramley, a West Hartford resident and World War II veteran who was turning 100 in August 2022. Bramley’s neighbor wanted his birthday celebrated as they knew he lived alone so this was submitted to Twilight Wish. After all was said and done, Hoisl said the birthday party turned out to be a full town patriotic celebration.
“I kept getting calls—can the Eagle Scouts come, can the Boy and Girl Scouts make him cards, can the high school bands perform?” she said. Music was played and West Hartford Quilters gave him an American Pride Quilt. Locals donated food and drinks. Bramley died in December 2023.
WISH CATEGORIES
Hoisl said wishes can cost relatively nothing to costing thousands Some of them are just basic medical needs and some can be more involved. Often, communities and organizations will donate what they can, such as when the penguin was transported, the Mystic Aquarium donated the costs. Other examples can include things like a needed new roof which a local roofer also recently donated.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up at WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG/VOLUNTEER-OPPORTUNITIES If you don’t have the time to devote hours, you can donate funds directly on the organization’s website. You can also view unfulfilled wishes that are assigned a certain monetary value and donate to those specific wishes by visiting WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG/OPEN-TWILIGHT-WISHES For veterans’ programs that offers Twilight Wishes, visit WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG/VETERANS
You can also sign up to start a new chapter if your area isn’t currently covered by visiting WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG/START-A-CHAPTER
Twilight Wish also accepts donated household items like full- and queen-sized bedding, and gift cards to chain grocery stores that can be handed out as needed. If you have these to donate, visit WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG
Judith Hosack, a resident of The Retreat in Hartford, Conn., had her wish for a horse-drawn sleigh ride granted, thanks to the Connecticut chapter of the Twilight Wish Foundation. Photo by Twlight Wish.
Some often just need a new bed, new sheets, or new appliances. Many fulfilled wishes are medical lift chairs. Others are more creative—on Connecticut woman wanted to visit the memorial in Italy created for her husband where he was shot down in World War II. This was a celebration of the organization's 20th year and its 5,000th wish. Another Connecticut man wanted to write a book about his and his late wife’s love story—Twilight Wish helped him execute that and then arranged a book signing. Some want to spend time with family in some cases for the last time Twilight Wish just enabled a woman to go visit her ailing sister in Peru. Other wishes are simply small
luxuries that others may take for granted. Several just wanted to spend a day at a CT casino, and another wanted her hair done in real salon for the day—things that might be out of pocket on a fixed income
Twilight Wish also can fulfil needs of elder residential communities, sometimes delivering on art supplies or other activity needs. Recently, the organization surprised a senior living facility with a new television.
WHY DO IT
Despite all this work, only a handful of the Twilight Wish staff, in the main office, is paid. All of this work is done by volun-
teers. Hoisl said that despite that, she is certainly compensated emotionally every time she helps a wish come true.
“It is the best feeling in the entire world. Everyone who volunteers or donates and goes to a wish celebration, you are changed forever,” she said.
“It is just a win/win. Seeing this person get what they wanted or something on their bucket list and allowing the people who donated to see it—it is such an amazing moment,” Hoisl said.
“These seniors are often so underserved and undervalued. We should put them in the spotlight as much as we can, Hoisl said.
She noted that so often seniors in the news are negative portrayed, being the victim of a scam or a crime.
“This puts them in a positive light, Hoisl said.
And the positivity keeps coming—up next, a retired CT high school teacher wants to tour her former workplace, which has been made possible by Twilight Wish. And over the summer the organization put together a wedding for two blushing 80 somethings in Hartford.
“THEY MET AT A FACILITY & FELL IN LOVE. THEY WANT TO GET MARRIED. WE SAID, WHY NOT?” Andrea Hoisl
WHY NOT, INDEED
For more information or to donate visit WWW.TWILIGHTWISH.ORG n
CT Passes New Regulations for
NURSING HOMECARE
BY SUSAN SHULTZ
Two bills ordering a series of reforms for how nursing homes operate and their oversight were passed by the Connecticut House and Senate at the end of this past legislative session. They were signed into law at the end of May.
The reforms were initially proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont in February of this year His introductory memo identified the problems with the current nursing home system
“While many nursing homes provide good care others have struggled to meet the quality and safety standards residents deserve, he wrote.
Lamont also noted that lapses in quality nursing home care can lead to infection spread, bed sores, errors in medications, abuse, and neglect.
State statistics say that in 2022, the state received 4,278 complaints from nursing home residents, a nearly 40 percent increase from 2017 One specific problem Lamont pointed out was that when nursing homes suddenly close, their residents are forced to relocate under traumatic circumstances.
“Connecticut must promote a system of care that rewards quality nursing homes, strengthens transparency, promotes industry-leading practices, and holds poor performing homes accountable. We must also ensure that nursing
home closures occur with minimum disruption [to] resident care and safety,” Lamont said.
One of the more important provisions in the new legislation includes the creation of a home care provider registry by the Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the commissioners of Public Health and Consumer Protection This link will be posted on the Department of Social Services’ website. This registry will serve several purposes, including:
■ Promoting awareness of and access to qualified home care providers who accept Medicaid
■ Matching criteria of home care providers based on skills, language preferences, and more
■ Supporting the recruitment and retention of qualified home care providers
■ Assisting family with the financial process
■ Assisting the state with background checks
Other important changes include no more than two beds per room, effective July 1, 2025, and an online “nursing home report card” that prospective residents and their families can research before a loved one’s placement. Further changes include ensuring that consumer complaints are fully investigated, and the results are reported back to the appropriate governing body Public Act 24-39, An Act Supporting Connecticut Seniors and the Improvement of Nursing and Home-Based Care and Public Act 24-141, An Act Promoting Nursing Home Resident Quality of Life, will mean many improvements to the overall care of seniors whether they are homebound or in nursing homes.
For more information, visit your town or state's social services department at WWW.CT.GOV n
Residents of low-income senior housing Barnum Housing in Bridgeport, Conn. had their wish for a ferry ride granted thanks to Twilight Wish and discounted tickets from the ferry company. They took the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, New York and back, enjoying lunch on the trip Photo by Twlight Wish.
MS. SENIOR AMERICA SEEKS
TO
CHANGE
THAT OUTLOOK, ONE CROWN AT A TIME.
According to CT state director and event coordinator Debra Eccles, the pageant aims to honor women at the “age of elegance.” Eccles, a Shelton resident and former Ms. Connecticut Senior America winner herself, said winners should “exemplify dignity, maturity, inner beauty and charity.
“She is someone that all seniors can look up to and we emphasize that senior women are a valuable treasure and resource for younger people,” Eccles said.
Eccles has been in pageants throughout her life and got involved with the Ms Senior America pageant in 2015. She earned runner-up honors at first but earned the crown in 2021, representing Connecticut in the national competition, where she made the top ten.
“Every year, I learned more what the judges were looking for, Eccles said In early June, Eccles helped crown Ms. Connecticut Senior America 2024 Robin Kencel a Greenwich resident at this year’s event at Bridgeport’s Bijou Theatre.
Because the emphasis is on beauty inside and out, the judges focus a certain percentage of score on four different buckets. Contestants are scored in four weighted categories: interview and talent 30% each, and evening gown and philosophy of life, 20% each There is a set time limit on the talent portion on stage and the philosophy of life portion.
HOW IT WORKS
Eccles noted that the competition is a non-profit and she would love to see more participation and especially sponsors for the local CT pageant The pageant also pays to send the annual winner to the national event.
“It would be great to have a sponsor for next year’s pageant, she said
Eccles usually begins to recruit for the annual June pageant early in the New Year so she hopes those out there interested start honing their talents early
“It is intimidating to get up there, especially if you haven’t done your talent for a while or if you don’t have one,” she said.
But both Kencel and Eccles said the event is an empowering one that helps senior women feel good about themselves.
IT’S THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. THE COMRADERY AND THE FRIENDSHIPS YOU MAKE THERE’S NOTHING LIKE IT.
Kencel said she is looking forward to her year-long “reign.”
“I look forward to using the voice of the title and crown to encourage and support Ct’s senior women and advance work in leadership and education for the young women in our state,” she said.
Those interested in participating, donating or being a sponsor, please email Debra Eccles at debra.eccles912@ gmail.com To learn more about the contest and detailed rules, visit WWW.MSSENIORAMERICAPAGEANT.COM
About Robin Kencel Kencel, an accomplished luxury Realtor in Greenwich, where she raised her family has lived in CT all of her life. She was born in New Haven and raised in Hamden and hoped to use this pageant to give back to her home state
For Kencel, a pro-Am American ballroom dancer the talent choice was clear Kencel performed a dramatic, contemporary dance to “I Who Have Nothing, “sung by Shirley Bassey She views winning the pageant as a leadership opportunity to bridge generations.
“I am very excited to see what we can accomplish in both supporting seniors as well as advancing intergenerational dialogue,” she said.
As a highly successful business person herself, Kencel is approaching her role using these skills. She is creating a business plan to develop tactics to achieve what her vision sees as the mission.
Part of that mission is bringing young women in organizations she already supports into the efforts.
These include young women from Bellarmine College, Girls with Impact and Teach for America CT – who will accompany her to local events, when feasible, to increase that intergenerational dialogue.
“Giving young women an opportunity to practice their public speaking abilities will be an important component in developing their leadership skills,” Kencel said.
“We are very excited at what Robin is doing for the organization,” Eccles said.
In addition, Ms. Connecticut Senior America prioritizes visiting seniors who are less mobile in nursing homes or assisted living and performing their talents for them.
Kencel plans to compete in the national Ms Senior America event in the fall in Atlantic City n
Pictured above: Robin Kencel, an accomplished luxury Realtor in Greenwich, where she raised her family, has lived in CT all of her life. She was born in New Haven and raised in Hamden and hoped to use this pageant to give back to her home state. Photo by Fadil Berisha
Life at aBenchmark communityiscenteredaroundmeaningful connections. As we age, theunwantedeffects of loneliness can impact dailyliving, whichiswhy at ourcommunity,lifeisfilled with compassionatecare, extensiveprogramming,chef-prepared meals, andassociatesthatmakeour residentsfeelathome.
