“Wonderful. Magical. Informative. Helps dispel the fear and concern around dementia.” AUDIENCE MEMBER

The Play

Based on real-life stories from people affected by dementia gathered from our Suitcase Stories project run in partnership with Museums Worcestershire, Navigating Margaret, is an exciting theatre production about a Worcestershire woman’s journey living with dementia and how it affects her family.

Margaret was one of the first women to fly an aeroplane in Worcestershire, and as her story unfolds we look back over her life from childhood to the present day, including growing up and meeting the love of her life, Raviprasad, in a ground-breaking intercultural relationship.

The play weaves text and movement with a fairy-tale feel mixing the real and abstract. Four diverse professional actors will help to tell the incredible story and raise much needed awareness and education about dementia.

Audience members thoughts

“I thought the play was incredibly well written, the emotional aspects were very hard hitting, but very eye opening.”

“It was charming and poignant and so beautifully detailed, real emotional lift.”

A Q&A follows each show with dementia experts, cast members and the Producer, giving audiences the chance to explore the subject and creative journey. Local dementia support information will also be available to take away.

Play recommended age 12+, (not suitable for people with late-stage dementia).

Practical Insights

Learn more about dementia. Explore ways to support people affected by dementia and learn about care, communication and prevention

Limited to 15 places | 1.30-3.30pm | Workshop resources available afterwards

Who is Navigating Margaret for?

Carers and family members

Scenes from the play can be performed by the actors individually for dementia conferences, team away days, learning tools and much more.

• Diagnosis of Alzheimers dementia
• The stress on family members
• Deciding to put your loved one in a care home

Eliza Ann Thompson

Playing Young Margaret and Dani

Eliza Ann is a 23 year old, actor/creator/movement artist, based in London and the West Midlands. Since graduating in 2022, with a First Degree in Acting, Theatre and Performance, she has continued to develop her skills in visual imagery and physical theatre. Eliza performed as Young Margaret in the 2023 and 2024 rendition of Navigating Margaret with ArtsUplift. She is now returning as Young Margaret and Dani, in this version of Navigating Margaret – The Tour (2025). Eliza is also an associate artist for the critically acclaimed Strange Futures Theatre Company, with whom she has written, devised and performed in multiple community-involved projects, including The Last Restaurant (2022), Slow Cooked Stories (2023) and On The Bare Hill (2024). The Tree Rings.

(2023) was shortlisted by both Underbelly and The Pleasance Charlie Hartill Fund. She has led workshops in puppetry and visual arts, of which involved drama students at The University of Worcester. Eliza has also supported multiple award nominated short films.

Playing Magpie, Ma, Louise, Sarah

Lucinda graduated from the Academy Of Live & Recorded Arts completing the 3year Diploma in Acting.  She continued her training with Anne Bogart (Viewpoints) and Seb Harcombe (Stanislavski). She won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award in the 168 LA Film Festival for her role in the film Home, dir: Debs Paterson. Theatre credits include Shall We Shog? (The Globe) dir: Ken Campbell; Decor Without Production 1 & 2, (The Royal Court) dir: Ken Campbell; Cathy,Wuthering Heights, (The Rosemary Branch and UK tour) dir: Helen Tennison; Hecuba in Hecuba, (The White Bear) dir: Justin Murray; Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, (Dirty Market Theatre) dir: Georgina Sowerby. Lucinda combines her skills as an actor, artist and writer. She was selected for The New Writers programme at The Royal Court & The Arcola as well as receiving a poetry writing award from The Arvon Foundation. She also received The Royal Female School of Art Award. In addition to her works being shown at The Arcola & The BAC, Lucinda is currently developing an original piece of theatre with St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, London. This is the second time Lucinda has been a part of the company for Navigating Margaret.

Tracy Bargate

Playing Margaret

Tracy is delighted to be working with Helen Tennison again, after playing the shared title role in Helen’s 5* production of Mrs Dalloway for Creation Theatre Company, Mariana in “Measure for Measure” (Rosemary Branch) and Mother/Wolf in Barefoot’s “Red”.

Tracy’s other theatre work includes: “3 Winters” (National Theatre); R&D of “On Tandle Hill” (National Theatre Studio/Home); the No 1 UK tour of Michael Morpurgo’s “Butterfly Lion” (Mercury Theatre – shortlisted for the TMA Best Family Show); the sell out  immersive show “Code 2024” (where she delighted in being the murderer); “As You Like It” (New Vic); “Camino Real” (Young Vic); “She” (Soho Theatre); and “Bed Among The Lentils” (Blackfriars Arts).  Devised shows include “Return for a Wedding”, “A Fish in Water”, and “Filthy Dirty” (all CPT), the Snow Children (Pop Up – UK tour) and the fully masked “Veil” (Horse & Bamboo).

Additionally, Tracy trained as a drama therapist and she is also a director. She has created reminiscence projects on the elderly care wards for George’s Hospital. She also currently works in corporate theatre, which includes delivering experiential training on dementia. Tracy is delighted to build on this experience with Arts Uplift

Madhav Vasantha

Playing Raviprasad and Sanjay

Madhav grew up in Bangalore, India and has lived and worked in the States and the UK since then. His recent credits include The Vanishing Elephant which premiered at the New Victory Theatre getting the NY Times Critics Choice followed by a tour of the UK and USA. Among his other theatre credits are Rajesh & Naresh, Lost souls, Pericles and The Tempest. He was also one of the Sketch Ensemble cast with the award winning (RTS 2020/21 Best Entertainment Programme) TV show Crackerjack (CBBC & BBC one) which can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.

Creative Team

Or get in touch

Jenny Davis Jenny@artsuplift.co.uk

01926 504212