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Penny tells us about her experience pursuing a career in comedy as an older woman and the prejudice against age that she’s experienced in the arts.
"I would say that as I’ve got older, I have really enjoyed experiencing new things. I have been doing standup comedy and writing plays – something I started in lockdown whilst also on a casual basis for the London Wildlife Trust.
"I never imagined pursuing a creative career. My career change was a bit later in life, I was previously working in marketing and business development for lawyers and accountants. I would say it was harder to make that transition to a creative career as an older person, but I want to show people that you can have fresh start at any age."
You find yourself not understanding what it’s like to be older until you get there, I don’t feel that different to my younger self, but I do feel like I’m not expected to be in certain spaces.
"Currently, the standup comedy world for comedians starting out is very young and doesn’t feel very accommodating for older people and I would love to change that. I find that the arts are always very keen to engage with younger people in particular. There is more of a focus on providing shows for older people as opposed to creating opportunities for them to take part.
"Even in my writer’s group, I am pretty much the only older person, so I don’t feel particularly represented. It can be quite intimidating to walk into a space where nobody is anywhere near the same age as you.
"I’m also single and I think a lot of representation of people my age are grandmothers who are very family oriented. Older women feel invisible as we age, we are always represented as part of a family unit.
"To me, ageing is just living! I don’t like terms that try to paint life experiences as negative. For example, after having breast cancer I hate the term ‘survivor’. We don’t ask younger people what it’s like to be 25 or 30 so why do that with older people? There is a lot of fear around ageing so we question what age is about because of those fears, increasing interaction between older and younger people may help improve this."
