Vintage and cabaret entertainer Dawn Gracie is launching a new lunchtime club for “sassy seniors” in Chichester.
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00:00 Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers, and goodness,
00:07 Dawn Gracie, as glamorous as ever, even more glamorous than ever. And Dawn, you are about
00:12 to launch in Chichester the Dickie Bowes and Pettycoats Club. Now, I am, I am. What you
00:19 were saying was an amalgamation, a culmination of all the things that you do, but aimed at
00:23 a very specific age group that you are passionate about. What is this club? Explain.
00:28 Okay. Oh, thanks, Phil. So the Dickie Bowes and Butter... see, the Dickie Bowes and Pettycoats
00:34 Club is a daytime cabaret club, like an evening out, but in the daytime for sassy seniors.
00:42 And the point of that is to reach a specific age group or demographic of people who might
00:47 be 75 plus, who just want something a little bit different in the daytime. It's a couple
00:54 of hours of cabaret artists, some sing-alongs, a game of bingo, a light lunch. And it's in
01:02 the heart of the city at the Palance Suite. So it's an accessible evening out in the daytime.
01:09 Dawn, you've got to define that word sassy. What do you mean by sassy? You're sassy seniors.
01:15 Sassy is cheeky and fun. That's my definition of it. And it's for people who want, who are
01:22 broad-minded or if they're not broad-minded, they're willing to become broad-minded. The
01:27 cabaret club, it will be cheeky, but clean and boundary-pushing, but not too much. So
01:35 it's an introduction to people who may never have seen cabaret before to come and have
01:40 some fun with people during the day.
01:42 And that's the really important thing during the day is for people who would otherwise
01:46 struggle to be out in the evening, just couldn't possibly do it. It's a good time to make...
01:51 Exactly. And also it's really important that I reach the people who might have relatives
01:56 in Chichester and especially relatives who are perhaps living with dementia and they
02:01 come and visit and want to do things with their relative or loved one in the daytime.
02:05 And this is a really fun, fun alternative day out, but a night out. And everyone will
02:12 be very looked after. I've been working with people living with dementia for many, many
02:16 years. And so all of my helpers that will be at this show will also be knowledgeable
02:22 about dementia and things. So it really is a safe place for people to come and find other
02:28 friends and just have a really good laugh in the day.
02:31 It sounds fantastic. And just a word on the entertainment, what will be happening then?
02:36 Well, the entertainment will be very, very carefully selected cabaret artists to include
02:41 circus performers, comedians, magicians, burlesque dancers. And again, everything will be done
02:48 very, very specifically chosen by myself. I've got 11 years of experience casting shows,
02:53 so I'm treating this very carefully. And who knows? Let's see where it can possibly go
02:58 because they might want more boundaries pushed, but I'm here to do it.
03:02 But at the moment, it's going to be monthly, is it?
03:05 It's the last Tuesday of every month at the Pallant Suite, yes. And everyone is welcome.
03:09 So even if you are a younger person, but you have your golden ticket is your golden sassy
03:16 senior. So you must come with someone. You can't just pop in if you're too young. You've
03:20 got to have a sassy senior with you.
03:22 Brilliant. Well, it sounds a fantastic thing. Good luck with it. I hope it goes brilliantly.
03:27 Thank you very much.
03:28 Thank you.
03:29 Thank you.
03:30 Thank you.
03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]