The Double Nickels is a community theatre company founded in 2006, by Antoinette Ford, as a way of encouraging seniors to stay actively involved with their communities, young people, and people of differing cultures. We celebrate the legacy of the senior members of our society by highlighting and sharing their lives. We celebrate the contributions of our veteran warriors by capturing and sharing their experiences. We celebrate seniors and veterans through the medium of Reminiscence Theatre, original music and artistic renderings of their time in our history.
The Double Nickels held its first full production called ElderSpeak: The Remix in 2008. With a well-received first production, the company has been acknowledged as having tapped into a rich, vibrant and under-served arts community: seniors. Local theater companies and arts organizations have reached out to support the Double Nickels wholeheartedly. Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation Campus (THEARC) provided our first home and performance venue.
Since 2006, the Double Nickels have partnered with large performance organizations such as the Washington National Opera, local colleges’ drama departments, the Kennedy Center, and other venues throughout the region – such as our friends at the Armed Forces Retirement Home. Through the Double Nickels, the true stories of seniors and veterans are brought to the stages across Washington, DC by performing these stories with the seniors who told/wrote them. This innovative approach to engaging seniors and veterans is an affordable way for them to stay involved with their communities. Through the arts, seniors are sharing life stories and communicating with younger generations and crossing cultural boundaries.
In addition, we have an “Age Exchange” program to allow the younger generation to perform the stories of the seniors and in effect develop a new perspective and appreciation for historical events. This innovative community involvement is novel to the DC community and sets the Double Nickels apart from other arts organizations, large or small.
The Double Nickels continue to fulfill the mission of connecting seniors and veterans to the larger community through the venue of theater and we continue to expand our reach throughout the community – while harnessing the rich stories of well-lead lives. We were honored to be a Finalist in the Mayor’s 26th Annual Arts Awards – Innovation in Arts Category in 2011.
Our motto is, “Until The Lions Have Historians, Tales Of The Hunt Will Always Celebrate The Hunter.”
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