A new play and a cast of six, with most of them newcomers to theatre, sounds like a risky proposition, but the latest Central Otago Theatre production is outstanding.
Written by Alexandra playwright Karin Halliday, Over 50 and Still Flatting tells the story of disparate group of adults living together in shared accommodation.
Director Lyn Gordon said only two of the cast had been on stage before and she was very pleased with them.
‘‘I’m extremely proud of them, you wouldn’t believe they hadn’t acted before.’’
In the United Kingdom, flatsharing site SpareRoom said while people 25 to 34 years old made up the largest group of renters last year, there had been a 239% increase in 55 to 64-yearolds looking for house-shares since 2011, and a 114% increase for the 45-to-54 age group.
Cohabitas, a UK website which advertises house-shares for people over-40, said a post-Covid survey showed about 45% of their users were looking to share accommodation purely for economic reasons, while 48% were keen renting for both economic and social reasons.
The play, which runs from October 12-15 at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, was inspired years ago by a television advertisement for a bank featuring a group of ageing flatmates forced to share a house, Ms Halliday said.
