A volunteer acting group composed of retirees performs musical theater for seniors in assisted living facilities. The Golden Guild of Michigan, a theater troupe with over two decades of history, travels to retirement homes to delight residents with classic Western and folk music and sketches.
The group tailors its performances to resonate with the audience. For a lot of these people, they aren’t attuned to anything more recent. If you think about it, the music that you remember the most, that means most to you is the music that you learned growing up,
said 82-year-old John McPeak, a member of the Golden Guild.
A Retiree’s Dedication
John McPeak is a central figure in the troupe’s operations. His fellow member, JoAnn Pobocik, described his essential role. He’s like the backbone to a lot of stuff. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if we would be able to do this because he hauls all of our equipment every time we go out to perform, and he’s just always there, ready to work,
Pobocik said.
Classic Western Performances
This year’s show features material based on classic Westerns like Gunsmoke
and Rawhide
. During a performance, McPeak donned a coonskin hat to play Davy Crockett, telling the audience, Oh, yeah, folks around here call that Sasquatch. That’s the varmint we’ve been tracking.
The group also performed songs such as Move ’em on. Move ’em on. Head ’em up. Rawhide.
Audience Appreciation
The performances are well-received by the senior residents. Judy Nelson, an audience member, has been a fan for years. I enjoyed it very much. It’s been good. I’ve seen it now probably for five years,
she said. The Golden Guild typically closes its shows with the classic song Happy trails to you till we meet again.
