Living Memories: FHU Students Bring Local Seniors' Stories to Life on Stage

"Try to be happy and always appreciate your blessings." "Whatever you do, always put the Lord in it." "Be a good servant to your family." These words of wisdom, shared by local senior citizens, came to life on stage as Freed-Hardeman University students reenacted their stories in Ayers Auditorium. Through humor and heartfelt moments, the Living Memories project recently captured the experiences of four residents from Southern Oaks, an assisted living home in Henderson.

The production was the result of a three-week journey in which students conducted interviews, rehearsed and ultimately performed snippets from the seniors' stories. Associate professor of theatre Brandyn Graves described the artistic process as devised theatre, a method in which the performance is developed through improvisation and collaborative staging rather than a prewritten script. Living Memories was funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission's Art Builds Communities grant. For the participating students, this project was more than an academic exercise-it was an opportunity to connect across generations.