Beech Tree News Network

Morgantown, Ky. –  What if the programming in nursing homes was so interesting that families and neighbors actually wanted to come and participate alongside residents and staff?  That is the dream of Angie McAllister, award winning elder-care professional and Anne Basting, an award-winning artist and scholar, and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow.   

 Over the past year, Basting and McAllister have led a team of regional and national artists, staff, and elders in a bold reimagining of the story of Peter Pan at 12 Signature HealthCARE nursing homes across rural Kentucky, including Morgantown Care and Rehabilitation Center, Signature HealthCARE of Hart County, Riverside Care and Rehabilitation Center, and Oakview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The project culminates with professionally-produced, original plays in three of the 12 homes.

 The public is invited to join residents and stakeholders for a journey through the play Wendy’s Neverland. The play will take place at Morgantown Care and Rehabilitation Center, 201 South Morgan St., Morgantown, KY 42261. Opening Day is Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. CST. There will be three more performances: Sunday, March 24; Monday, March 25; and Tuesday, March 26 all beginning at 2 p.m. CST. The show runs approximately one hour with a reception to follow. Tickets are free, but limited, so please visit https://www.timeslips.org/about/current-projects to reserve your spot(s) today.

 Artists participating and leading the project include Anne Basting, Lead Artist; Robert Martin, Director; Andee Rudloff, Artist-in-Residence; Kevin Jeff, Choreographer; Jeff Becker, Designer; Nicole Garneau, Production Manager; Cheyenne Mize, Musical Director; and Clare Hagan, Stage Manager.

 The I Won’t Grow Up Project emerged as a collaboration between Signature HealthCARE and TimeSlips, a non-profit whose mission is to bring meaning and joy into late life; and made possible with funding by a Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Grant through the Kentucky Office of Inspector General and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS); and Art Works, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Signature HealthCARE is a family-based healthcare company with integrated services at each point of the continuum of care: skilled nursing, home health, assisted living and in-home care. The company’s organizational culture inspires more than 17,000 employees with three pillars: learning, spirituality and innovation. A growing number of Signature HealthCARE centers are earning five-star quality ratings, the highest classification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and 102 Signature HealthCARE locations earned QAPI accreditation. Inc. 5000 recognized Signature HealthCARE most recently on its 2017 list of fastest growing private companies.