Am I Old Yet? — Comedy audio drama

First in a series of interviews/conversations with some friends and colleagues, all of whom have experienced their 70th birthdays. This one features Australian theatre-maker, performer, writer, collaborative mentor and arts supervisor, Margi Brown Ash.  We share some memories, ideas, thoughts on politics, elderhood and teaching pedagogies - among other things.  Full TRANSCRIPT is available here. https://flloydkennedy.com/are-you-old-yet/Books recommended by Margi:The Stolen Focus—Why You Can't Pay Attention, and How to Think Deeply Again,  by Johann HartThe Biology of Belief, by Bruce LiptonSupport the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

BONUS EPISODE: Second in this occasional series of interviews/conversations. My guest is singer and activist Frankie Armstrong, still singing and demonstrating in her 80s. Frankie was part of the British Folk Song Revival in the 1960s, has performed with the National Theatre, runs workshops for RCCSD graduate students and she is the founder of the Natural Voice Network.  We've been friends since 1967, and our conversations ranges from reminiscences, and the ageing process to singing styles and back again.  Full transcript is available here: https://flloydkennedy.com/are-you-old-yet/Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

BONUS EPISODE: This week, I invited Liverpool based poet Colin Watts to chat about his background, and experience of helping to set up the Dead Good Poets Society of Liverpool. The Dead Goods meet on the third Thursday of the month (except for August) in the MerseyMade Cafe, Paradise Street.The theme music for this episode is my song "Where the Old Folk Go", my version and Mark Bunyan's orchestrated version.Thanks for listening. Stay safeSupport the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

BONUS EPISODE: Linda Wilton, Argentine Tango specialist,  has been dancing and teaching dance for most of her life. She trained in Argentine Tango with Juan Carlos Copez. Linda shares some of her story with Flloyd Kennedy, and also her thoughts about the process of ageing, and how she is adapting  so that she may continue dancing for many years to come. In the cover image, Linda (centre) is being honoured at the 2023  La Feria festival in Liverpool, by Francisco  Carrasco (right), Director of Luma Creations, for her work, including  bringing the wonderful Argentine Tango singer  Martin Alvarado (on the left) to Liverpool.Support the show AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Bonus episode: Welcome to this personal tribute to my very dear friend Allana Noyes, who sadly passed away recently after a short illness.   This is a compilation of the episodes in which Allana played Helen's Great Niece Georgie, and Georgie's mother Flora.  For those of you who knew Allana, I hope you enjoy hearing her again, and for those who didn't, I trust you will enjoy her remarkable talent and joyous energy.  She is sadly missed.Support the show AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

An audio drama/comedy written, performed and produced by Flloyd Kennedy.Helen is in her 70s, happily living on her own in her London flat, except when her family decide to invade her space “to look after her”, or because they want her to fix them.Episode 1: Helen is having enough trouble coping with her ageing body and mind, let alone her bossy daughter who is staying with her in the latest lockdown, when a disturbing phone call creates a challenge and leads to a new lease of life on her own terms.Support the show AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen’s over-protective daughter Janey has been staying with her for a month now, and Helen is over it. It’s time to face facts, and Helen wants to call things by their proper names.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen is excited to receive a bunch of beautiful flowers. Is there a secret admirer? Or is her highly strung daughter, Janey, right to be susipcious?Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen is pleased to discover that she didn't upset her very elderly neighbour, who has set her a puzzle instead. Granddaughter Susie calls up, seeking advice on her uni assignment. And what is Alexa on about?Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen may have let something slip that she'd rather her family didn't know about. And daffodils from Janey's garden won't help.  But she's delighted to receive a call from her Great Niece, Georgie, now living and working in Sydney. Sometimes it helps to have connections...Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen has a crisis in the kitchen, but is it because she is old, or just stupid?  102-year-young Nana from next door has something to say on the subject. Meanwhile, Helen still hasn't told Janey about the book.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Sparks fly when daughter Janey comes for lunch, and when the phone rings, Helen is challenged by an old friend to see things from a slightly different angle.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen seeks peace and quiet in the garden (note to self: don’t take the phone with you). Susie is being harassed by Janey. Janey receives a surprise challenge from Georgie. Georgie is sworn to secrecy. How many secrets can one family sustain?Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

I wrote this poem last July, shortly after the first lockdown began to open up. The acting college where I had been teaching voice part time prior to lockdown invited me to come back into the studio to teach, and I didn't consider it safe—for myself, or for the students—so I declined.  It occurred to me that I would almost certainly never be offered such  work again.  I had been extremely lucky to have kept on teaching at the tertiary level for as long as I had, well into my 70s.Thoughts on ageing weren't new to me. But this seemed more pressing, especially with all the understanding by that stage that anyone over 80 was especially vulnerable to Covid-19. When 80 is only 4 years away, and those years are accelerating  by faster than  a Formula 1 car driven by Jensen Button, it feels like tomorrow.Hence this poem. It was published in October 2020 as part of the collection "Sunsets & Kites", which is available from Amazon online.Enjoy!  And stay safe.Image courtesy @gsultangeorgeSupport the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Janey is nothing like her mother... however, one simple phone call could change all that.  Some daughters love to confide in their mothers, but Janey has a secret she really doesn't want Helen to know about. And vice versa. Who will give way first? Could it be that they are actually like two peas in a pod?Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

It is a sign of the times that a phone call from an unknown caller has to be assumed to be a scammer.  Helen decides to take them on, but she gets more than she bargained for. And is sweet Susie turning into a banshee? This episode also includes the song "Sometimes I Think".Support the show AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

The bond between grandparent and grandchild can be very special, and also sometimes it can turn into a minefield. Janey is not happy that Helen knew about Susie's boyfriend before she did. And Helen receives a surprise package with no return address. Memories can also be a minefield, with unexploded bombs lying in wait. As if surviving a pandemic weren't challenging enough, family relationships still need to be tended and mended. This episode also includes the track "There's No Such Place as Away" from Awkward Strangers.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Well, who hasn't? When old friends meet up after many years, it's good to share.  And when old people need to share, it's good to have friends who understand what you are going through. Helen and Pattie have a lot of catching up to do.  Helen and her daughter Janey seem to be happy enough to keep their own counsel—for the time being.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Memories can be a comfort, or a cause of distress. And when memories disappear, it's hard to know who feels it the most. Helen's older sister likes to ring up from her home in Rockhampton, Queensland, to check up on some old memories. Helen is still struggling to write down some of hers, worrying that daughter Janey might be upset. But we can always learn something new about our nearest and dearest. The image of Fraser Island is courtesy of Rulz.rishi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsSupport the show AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

Helen gets a fright while out shopping for cheese, and makes a new friend.  It's always best not to jump to conclusions.  In this week's episode, she might just find the answer to her question from someone much, much younger.  Special guest artist is actor, singer, musical director, and graduate of East 15 Acting School,  Christopher McDougall.Support the Show. AIR New Voices Amplify Spotify Playlist featuring a ‘Best of’ collection from the 16 podcast fellows, of whom I am one! Transcripts are available at the dedicated podcast website if your podcast app doesn't provide them. Please leave a comment or review at www.amIoldyet.com/reviews The music featured in Seasons 6, to 9 is from "In The Labyrinth" by John T LaBarbera, available on Spotify https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1708289 Thanks for listening. Stay safe.