FRAN Edwards and Margaret Walker are used to singing in public as members of choirs at Stockton Arc. But their latest project is a dramatic step into the unknown. They’re part of the community chorus in a new play Home Sweet Home, which challenges preconceptions about older people. The piece reflects the experiences of 200 over-65s in Stockton, Bradford and London – places where the Freedom Studios production is being staged.

The two women share the stage with professional actors, including former Emmerdale star Jean Rogers, in Emma Adams’ play exploring the experience of growing older and the ageing process in contemporary Britain.

Director Tom Wright visited the Arc choirs to recruit some of the community cast. “He asked for volunteers for a workshop, but didn’t explain exactly what it was. But the play is hard to explain because it’s a very unique piece,” says former social worker Fran. “We were surprised when we came for the first rehearsal in Bradford because I didn’t even know it was a scripted piece. We imagined some of it would be improvised as we did little improvised games in the workshop.

Then this big script landed in front of us and he said we were on stage all the time. We sit in the audience and jump up and do things in the play.”

The play premiered in Bradford, is touring to The Albany in London, before reaching the Arc at the end of this month. The women sing in the Silver Singers and Crystal Singers in Stockton. Fran’s interested in folk music and sings with her husband in local clubs. When she retired, doing more singing was her priority.

“We’ve never been made to feel in any shape or form that you’re amateurs. It’s really nice, everybody is together,” says Fran.

Margaret points out that in a choir you’re singing together, but in a play you’re out there on stage on your own. As the play is performed in the round with an audience of 60, it’s an up close and personal experience.

The play, set in a care home, addresses serious problems but, they say, it’s also reminding people that those we see as old people are characters who had interesting lives and can still have interesting lives even though they’re considered elderly.

Another theme is where do you call home? “The writer has researched with lots of immigrant communities who’ve lived here since they were 16 or 17. But when you get into your older age, perhaps thinking of the place where you’re going to die, you start to question, ‘Is this home? Not all old people end up with Alzheimers in a home,” adds former care home worker Margaret.

It’s given both of them a taste for more doing more theatre. “It’s been an amazing opportunity. I never thought it would be as good as it is – a proper well-written play that’s really good and full of humour and pathos. It’s been so much fun and something you don’t usually get a chance to do,” says Fran.

Jean Rogers played Dolly Skillbeck in ITV’s soap Emmerdale for 11 years. Wearing her other hat as an Equity councillor and a vicepresident of the actors union, she notes that one of the issues on which she has campaigned is gender equality for actresses and performers of a certain age.

“That’s the nub of this play – when people get to a certain age, whether they’re men or women, they’re thought of as almost on the scrapheap. It’s almost as though they cease to be human beings. Old becomes invisible.

“People believe that as you age you can no longer learn new things, new skills. Although various things slow down, an older person replaces that with experience and so that helps them when they learn a new skill.

It’s a myth that you can’t learn a new language or any new skill once you get to 50 onwards.”

Writers tell Rogers that TV commissioning editors aren’t interested in older people as central characters. The BBC’s Last Tango In Halifax took three years to get the green light.

  • Home Sweet Home: Stockton Arc, Tuesday to Oct 4. Box Office: 01642- 525199 and arconline.co.uk The production is part of Bold, a festival of performances, events and workshops involving older people and others across the generations.