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WINSTON-SALEM — The 40+ Stage Company has scheduled Readers Theater Classes for seniors, age 55 and up. The classes will be held at 3 p.m. every Tuesday from Jan. 11-Feb. 15 at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center, 440 Lewisville-Clemmons Road in Lewisville. The initial orientation class is free. Thereafter, a one-time tuition of $20 is dues for the entire course. Hardship assistance is available.

The course consists of six two-hour classes. The first class is free for all attending. It will provide an overview of the course and introduce some of the basic skills to be taught. Participants wishing to enroll in the remaining five classes will be charged a $20 tuition fee upon registering. Memorizations will not be required. The course is designed to give participants greater confidence when speaking in public, insight into the creative process and group collaboration, exercise in practicing empathy, and enhanced critical skills in evaluating video and stage performances. Research substantiates that seniors who participate in the performing arts enjoy better mental and emotional health, engage more frequently with others, avoid depression and loneliness, and experience better mental acuity in the later years, thus postponing the onset of dementia-like symptoms.