Latest news with #GatewayTheatre
Business Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Gateway Entertainment to launch initiatives about dementia, seniors
[SINGAPORE] As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Gateway Entertainment on Monday (May 5) said it will launch two initiatives this year, which will focus on seniors and the issues that they face. The first one is a movie called BYM, starring a local and regional cast. It is about dementia and tells the story of the relationship between a senior with the condition and her caregiver. The second initiative is Sunshine Festival held at Gateway Theatre, which Gateway Entertainment operates. From Oct 31 to Nov 7, the inaugural theatre festival for seniors will showcase three productions – although they are targeted to seniors, anyone of any age can attend. Live It Up! is a musical about how a senior navigates his life as a new retiree. Meanwhile, Rewind is a monodrama – a one-person show – that touches on the topics of cancer, identity loss and hope. There will also be a MidLife Sing & Shine! live concert, in collaboration with Hong Kong broadcasting company TVB, where TVB artistes will perform nostalgic hits. On Monday, Gateway Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding with TVBI, the worldwide operating arm of TVB, to collaborate on future projects. Besides the three productions, Gateway Entertainment will run workshops and talks with community partners such as Touch Mental Wellness for participants. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Priscilla Khong-Espinosa, executive director of not-for-profit Gateway Arts and managing director of Gateway Theatre, said the idea for these workshops and talks is for families to come together and kickstart conversations about issues that the seniors in the family are facing. They can bridge generation gaps and build empathy for them. She said: 'It's about having content that the older generation is interested in, making sure that it's contemporary and relevant, and also that families can come together.' The launch of BYM and Sunshine Festival come on the back of Singapore's ageing population, added Khong-Espinosa. Singapore is set to become a super-aged society by 2026, with one in four Singaporeans aged 65 or above by 2030. In its early days, Gateway Entertainment produced telemovies. BYM is its first feature-film project, and Khong-Espinosa hopes to use the movie as a learning and engagement tool on different aspects of dementia – from the perspectives of both the patient and caregiver. There is a personal element for her too, particularly with BYM. Khong-Espinosa said that she and her family unit came together to help take care of her grandmother, who had dementia. Through this movie, she also aims to spotlight caregiver burden. 'It's about creating awareness. Nobody's talking to us about what we went through or the things that we faced… If you don't talk about it, you don't normalise it – then it becomes a hidden stress factor that everybody faces. By talking about it and creating more awareness, it provides more platforms for people to participate, or at least get the help they need,' she noted. Previously, Gateway Entertainment ran Project Smile, an initiative where participants learned magic, volunteered and performed at community service centres, such as hospitals and day care centres. 'The idea was that we wanted to use magic as a tool to connect people from different community groups. We realised that if we teach them how to be confident and compassionate, it can actually bridge gaps, because magic becomes an icebreaker,' Khong-Espinosa said. Project Smile started in 2002, but stopped around the time of the pandemic. During its run, it worked with schools to train tens of thousands of students in magic.
BBC News
23-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Devon theatre manager optimistic despite temporary closure
A theatre manager has said she remains optimistic after the venue was temporarily closed over safety Gateway Theatre in Seaton, Devon, dates back to 1904 and was closed on 29 November due to "urgent and immediate safety issues", according to the town council. A council statement, published on Facebook in February, said its insurer agreed to supply basic cover on the condition the Town Hall building, including the theatre inside, remained manager Sophia Moseley said: "We survived Covid so there's a lot of optimism that this will just be another hiccup." The town council statement said: "Given the severity of the identified risks, the council was obliged to inform its insurers."It added: "The council would like to emphasise that at no point has it made any decision to close the Gateway Theatre. "The decision made was to close the Town Hall building, which impacted both tenants (Gateway Theatre and the Axe Valley Heritage Association). However this decision was necessary due to the withdrawal of insurance cover." The statement also said the required improvements include electrical and fire safety upgrades, remedial electrical works, and emergency lighting upgrades. 'More than a job' Ms Moseley said the theatre needed about £60,000 to help fix the said staff had been left in tears after they were forced to cancel their festive programme over Moseley said: "Every single thing had to be cancelled. We were literally in tears, it was terrible and really, really sad."In a bid to raise funds, the manager has created a fundraising page which has generated £12,000."We have so far received some incredible donations, which has helped with the money we lost over Christmas," she said."It's a testament to how important the theatre is to people. "We're confident we will achieve our aims." Ms Moseley began working at The Gateway Theatre in September 2021, at the height of the said: "When you work in the arts, when you work in theatre, it's way more than a job, especially at the Gateway Theatre, it's a way of life. "I think about it, I eat it, I sleep it."The BBC has contacted Seaton Town Council for comment.
