Joy is 83 today: she’s funny, loves to dance, and is losing her memory. Her grandson, Danny is rebellious, bright and always getting into trouble.
When Danny decides to look after Joy, they discover a shared playfulness and growing love. But is that enough to face the challenges ahead?
Finding Joy is the heartwarming true story of Danny, an 18-year-old boy, who looked after his grandmother, Joy, as she made her way through middle and late stage dementia. His methods were unorthodox, but he was a natural carer and looked after her with an inspiring freshness and positivity.
Finding Joy caringly recreates their relationship, in a life-affirming performance that has been received around the globe to critical acclaim.
Vamos Theatre make accessible, humorous and fearless work, based on real life stories, and rooted strongly in social research. Their trademark style marries full mask performance, with strong visual design and an original soundtrack, to bring their stories to life on stage.
Approaching the subject of dementia with humour and humanity, Finding Joy has been performed to audiences across Europe and the UK, including a highly successful run at Assembly for the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016.
The show is designed to speak to anyone from carers, family members and people who have seen the effects of dementia first hand, to those who have no knowledge of the disease but are interested in seeing a touching, five-star awarded, original piece of theatre.
The wordless nature of Finding Joy also makes the show fully accessible to deaf audiences without the need of a signer.
As part of the Finding Joy tour, a side project called Sharing Joy saw Vamos deliver a special show to the residents and carers of local Newbury care homes, Willow’s Edge and Walnut Close.
Sharing Joy is a show that has been created specifically for those living with dementia and their carers and families. Set in the 1940s and 50s, it includes music to conjure up memories, dancing to enjoy or join in with, and swinging dresses and best suits to reminisce over.
The performers encouraged everyone to take part and to express themselves in ways that they were comfortable with, giving the audience a chance to feel fulling immersed in the show.
For further information and tickets, for either November 14 or November 15, click here.
