"Why don't you get involved in an acting class" suggested one of my best friends and my current roommate. I thought back to memories of stage performances which were not all that good. I performed in a college skit as a Medieval page, or messenger, delivering an announcement of the Virgin Mary in the forests (this was a Catholic College). The theater was full (about 200 people, including the bishop). As I walked up the stairs onto the stage, my arm flung too wide and I hit a paper tree that was not properly anchored. I ended up hugging the tree in complete embarrassment, and then gently placing the tree upright again in an attempt to make the accident look like part of the skit. I managed to say my lines.

Later in life, I was part of a singing duet. My partner and I traveled around to bars and restaurants singing standard songs and playing the guitar. I knew bits and pieces of about 50 songs; my partner, on the other hand, was an excellent singer and later became a song writer on Facebook. We played the roles of a girl dressed San Francisco 60's style (somewhat like a hippy), and a hipster from the eastern cityboard. My singing is not very good so I followed my partner as well as I could: most of the interest we engendered was because of our looks and the contrasts our personalities presented.

So, I was not too excited about getting involved in any more theater work. I had another experience in graduate school when a drama professor coached me in a play about mixed racial relationships. The cause was excellent, but, in the skit, my fellow actor and I were very angry at each other and it seemed as if the dialogue went so fast that I didn't have time to enjoy or appreciate it. Anyway, I have logged in some dramatic experience so I entered a senior drama class, taught by a drama expert from the New York Stage. I was already writing a few skits and plays based on familiar Bible stories so it was really fun being in a theatrical group.

My first experience was in the play "Lettice and Lovage". This is an English play about two opposite personalities meeting for a drink of a strong herbal nature, and unexpectedly enjoying a meeting of the minds, motivated by mutual need. It wasn't really hard remembering the lines as I went over them at least 35 times, as well as blurted them out to myself in my spare time. All of this was a spark to my slowly revolving mind that had been previously fueled by the leisurely reading of literary classics. This turned out to be a "Memory Sprint" rather than the slow jogging of my past mental exercises. I had to remember about three pages of lines and speak them in front of people, on cue.

When I first got on stage, my mind went blank. Then, my very competent partner began her speeches and I responded, almost without thinking, to her cues. I was on stage, under the lights, so I had no choice but to remember or be cancelled. All that practice paid off and I got through the scene, actually enjoying the attention by the end of it. I've always been a bit of a ham, so enjoyment was there for the taking.

My next experience was much more challenging. I played a scene from Tennessee Williams' well-known play "Glass Menagerie". It was a somewhat long scene but I had a sweet and patient partner who helped me immensely. I spent a large amount of time going over the lines by phone, and my teacher helped me greatly by teaching me how to picture in my mind the activities talked about in one of the longer speeches. I gave one really good performance: at least I enjoyed it to a tee, as it involved a wonderful combination of controlled emotion.

I am not much of an actor but I can do "walk-on" parts. I still enjoy the stage. I also enjoyed seeing other seniors who developed exponentially and could easily take their place on any stage in town. I didn't think of them as old at all. The parts they played were age-appropriate; one actress was able to remember a great many details in her actions as her scene involved moving from a room, into an elevator, and into another room. She had to hold many stage props such as an umbrella and keys, and then she had to get herself and her friend into a car. She was using the techniques of "mime" in which an actor uses imaginary actions and objects as if they are real. To think that she had no previous training prior to this class, is practically impossible.

Many of my friends from this class have become involved in small community theaters and groups. They had no training but have quickly moved onto local stages. Much of this is due to the teacher, who is an authority on stage work and a gifted teacher, with counseling experience. The counseling experience is particularly helpful as some of the students have health or mental issues. And my mental issue was the deficits in my short term memory. Not only can I trust my memory more, but I'm more confident in social settings and I'm not afraid to appear vulnerable, a state of being one often encounters on the stage. It's okay to look as if you have made a mistake, or might cry at any moment. We all understand such situations and this is what makes us human.

I know brain teasers, such as crossword puzzles or word games are excellent, but acting is very interesting and challenging. Visualizing an experience you might have to act is a big boost to memory. Repeating lines to another person is more difficult than just saying them to yourself: you have the added challenge of meeting another's needs. When you get to the stage, you are under pressure and this causes you to deal with nervousness also. We were told that anxiety is a part of acting, so it's a good idea to go with it and use it to enhance your performance. There's an anxiety curve with acting and it will usually reach a peak and then subside.

Some of the techniques we learned would be useful for any type of public speaking. Just be yourself and people will like you better. Address the audience directly and this will affect what you say: you will be asking yourself "Does the audience really want to hear this?" We always have to consider the actions when we say our lines, and let the emotions follow. This sounds like good advice for any politician: are his/her ideas practical and possible, or is the speaker just throwing around words with no deep interest behind them? I find that, in life, I try to put the actions first before the intentions or the thought. " If I'm not hurting myself or anybody else, then go for it, I tell myself." Then I proceed to behave in a certain matter, or accomplish certain tasks. I can think about them later. If I think too much before acting I can fall into procrastination.

If you've always liked the stage or theater, try doing some acting. It's very hard work and you definitely have to put lots of action into it. First, you read your part off of the script (cold reading), then you get direction as to how to move about stage. After several more readings, you begin to set the script aside and say your lines from memory. Meanwhile, you're calling your partner on the phone or meeting with him/her to co-ordinate your actions and perfect the dialogue. I don't pretend to be an expert, but I just want to let you know that learning acting will be time consuming. It is a wonderful hobby for a retired person.

People always think that an actress is just born to step up front and emote. It turns out that emotion comes as a result of learning a number of good techniques. Nowadays we have certain personalities who get most of the parts, and we forget that acting is a job that requires training. Most of the actors in our local community theater have college and higher degrees in theater. Probably the days of being discovered sitting in a restaurant are not completely over, but certainly community theater favors actors who are well-prepared. I also write plays, but I am strictly interested in live theater. I have a background in literature so Hollywood's special effects and personalities are far from the world of academic research and essay writing. That is not to say that I would shun Hollywood if an offer came, but my plays have a biblical orientation and this is a special niche. Fortunately, some Christian writers are represented in Los Angeles. So, if you are in my niche join me in writing or acting so we can penetrate the world of the stage. If you don't like the stage, try writing for, or ushering at a local theater. You're never too old to write. And you're not too old to act: watch the British Broadcasting System's specials on public television. They include many vintage actors.

What do you do when you retire? It turns out, that you can do many of the things younger and working people are doing, like acting. Don't shy away from the stage because you've never done it before. Take an acting class, and you might find one that's free with a continuing education program. Though you might not make it to Hollywood, don't think that senior actors are not having a great time. And think of all the related activities you can get into like writing skits or plays, ushering at local theaters, or even getting a part meant for an older actor. This is a challenging area for the retired or the working person, but the freedom and creativity of such involvements makes it all worth it. There are many writing outlets nowadays, such as e-books, and many local theater groups that can use help. Being involved on the local level is not as pressured as, say, television, and you can meet lots of people.