Help warm hearts worldwide.
Donate here and learn more below.
$30k is urgently needed to complete production that is currently in progress and prep materials for distribution partners.
What is Golden Years?
Golden Years is a feature-length documentary chronicling The Golden Years Theatre Company’s community theatre production of the beloved musical, Peter Pan. What makes this production special is that The Golden Years Theatre Company is all senior citizens, many of whom will be performing on stage for the very first time.
Yes, this is Peter Pan - performed by a cast of senior citizens who proudly “won’t grow up.” And yes, they will be flying!
Golden Years (the documentary) will be a heartwarming story about the courage it takes to try something new in this late season of life, the challenges involved in such an undertaking, the new friendships made along the way, and the joy in reconnecting with the child inside.
Golden Years will follow this production from the first auditions, through rehearsals, to the performances, where the grandkids will be cheering on their grandparents (for a change!).
We will also spend time with the cast at their homes and in their lives, where we will get to know them, their experiences, their wisdom, and what moved them to step on stage and visit Neverland.
About the Golden Years Theatre Company
There is no Golden Years Theatre Company without Bob Tansley.
Bob has founded four school and community theatre companies in his hometown of Waterbury, CT, spanning 32 years and 53 productions which - until now - have all been for children. Bob had been retired for three years and itching for something new to do. This led Bob to the idea of directing full musicals with senior citizens playing all the parts. He has a true gift for inspiring people to follow him into unknown adventure. Many of the Golden Years Theatre company volunteers are young people who performed in Bob’s children’s productions over the years.
Bob has a giant heart. In true community-building spirit, no one is turned away from a production he directs. Everyone who wishes to be a part of the show can be. He finds a place for everyone - regardless of talent, ability, or disability - and gives them the support they need to have a wonderful experience. In the summer of 2023, The Golden Years Theatre Company mounted their inaugural production - Grease. Of the cast of 28, 22 were performing for the very first time. The performances delighted, moved, and inspired the community, earning a segment on the local news, the support of the local government, and a humanitarian award for Bob.
With the new excitement and support, they will be moving from the small multipurpose room that housed Grease to a proper 700-seat theater, with many more seniors ready to take to the stage in Peter Pan.
So, what might happen?
Theatre and documentary film - two things that invite challenges and surprise. The challenges that naturally arise and the ways our seniors navigate those challenges together is both the source of story and inspiration. Nothing needs to be manufactured by filmmakers. Luckily, we have some clues from last year’s production of Grease.
We can anticipate that some of these things might happen...
Someone (or their spouse) might become ill or receive a serious diagnosis.
Seniors might find love.
We may find unexpected great talent.
Cast members may overcome fears, heal past traumas, gain self-esteem, and feel seen and valued.
Someone might not have the cognitive ability to learn a role and might need to step down.
Creative solutions might be found to help a person with a disability or some limitation participate.
Grandparent & grandchild relationships might deepen.
Fast and deep new friendships may form.
There will be a lot of fun.
Seniors & Entertainment
What is out of sight is out of mind. We want seniors to be seen, heard, and appreciated, and for seniors’ cares, concerns, wisdom, and stories to have space in public. The Geena Davis Institute has found that characters aged 50+ constitute less than a quarter of all personas in blockbuster movies and top-rated TV shows from the last decade.
This is despite...
...77.2% of wealth in the United States owned by the Baby Boomer generation (51.7%) and Gen X (25.5%)...
...with Americans age 65+ watching an average of 8 hours of film and television programming each day.
The audience for Golden Years is there, with shows like Golden Bachelor (and the new Golden Bachelorette!) showing us that senior citizen-focused stories have multi-generational appeal. Variety lists The Golden Girls in the top 20 greatest TV shows of all time. Perhaps longing for the warmth and stability of that grandparent feeling in an uncertain world, Gen Z and Millennials are living their best “grannycore” / “cottagecore” lives.
Possible Paths
Rather than aiming to pre-sell Golden Years via pitch, we believe that the heartwarming nature of this documentary will need to be seen to be fully valued and understood by the market, which is why we are producing this film independently. Our intent is to take it to market toward the end of post-production - working with sales agents to take this film to all foreign territories and with domestic distribution partners. Our team (who you can read about at the end of this page) has decades of experience creating film and TV series and making sales and distribution deals that reach around the globe.
The current state of studio, streamer, and network sales is a consideration as we move out of the Peak TV era. We are seeing that development and production budgets are being drastically cut, but acquisition budgets appear to be stable at the moment. Creatively, this is a shift away from action, spectacle, and star-driven work and toward authentic stories.
Funding Golden Years
Golden Years is a fully independent film funded by donors with the support of a fiscal sponsorship from a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit - Folklight Film Club. This means that - unlike most media projects - donor support is eligible for a tax deduction. As such, the producers and all employees will be working at or below industry standard rates for a small independent documentary and will be in compliance with the IRS rules and guidelines concerning non-profit fiscal sponsorships. Our crew has been working for 1/3-to-1/4 of their usual minimum pay - deferring $173k to be paid later from the sales and distribution of the film. Award-winning production company, Practical Magic, will be our production services provider and has donated in-kind the use of all camera, lighting, and sound equipment and use of their facilities in Burbank for post production. Post University donated housing for our crew for summer 2024 production. We are grateful for and thrilled to share that in-kind support for this film so far equals $110k of goods and services and cash contributions so far equal $10k.
Total support thus far amounts to $293k of donated or deferred support. But more cash contributions are needed.
$30k is urgently needed to complete production that is currently in progress and prep materials for distribution partners.
Why donate to Golden Years?
Alongside the causes we care deeply about, we need to support and create projects that remind us of the beauty in the world, of the vast potential inside each of us to connect with each other, lift each other up, and thrive. More than ever, we need to stay connected to our reasons for living and give our souls some chicken soup. Darker times require even more light.
Community Toolkit
Research shows that outcomes for senior citizens improve when they remain physically and mentally active and when they are valued and actively engaged in a caring community. Along with the documentary and in fulfillment of our non-profit mission to strengthen communities through authentic storytelling, we will be developing a community toolkit to help folks all over the country get started with their own senior citizen stage productions. This toolkit will be available to communities nationwide free of charge.
Donor Benefits
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Thank you in credits.
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Thank you in credits.
Credit on IMDB.com.
A copy of the completed film.
A print of the film’s finalized poster art. -
All benefits from previous donor levels plus…
An invitation for 2 people to the private, invitation-only cast & crew screening of the completed film in or near Waterbury, CT - or - the producer & crew private screening in or near Los Angeles -or- the private screening in Nashville. See it before the world does! (Transportation to screening not provided.)
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All benefits from previous donor levels, plus…
An invitation for 2 MORE people (4 total) to the private, invitation-only cast & crew screening of the completed film in or near Waterbury, CT - or - the producer & crew private screening in or near Los Angeles -or- the private screening in Nashville. See it before the world does! (Transportation to screening not provided.)
Golden Years hat, duffel or tote bag, & jacket.
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All benefits from previous donor levels plus…
Associate Producer credit on the film.
A private screening of the film at your home with the filmmaker and your family and friends.
Visit and tour the post production facility in Burbank during editing (travel not provided).
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All benefits from previous donor levels plus…
Executive Producer credit on the film.
A framed print of the finalized poster art of the film with your name credited as an Executive Producer.
Dedicate this film to your loved one. See your dedication featured alone on screen. To whom would you like to express your love?
Help warm hearts worldwide.
Donate here or contact Brooke Tansley at brooke@folklightfilmclub.com.
Our Team
Brooke Tansley, Producer
Former Broadway performer and current TV & film producer. Upcoming & in post: Brooke is the Executive Producer of a science documentary series developed with Warner Bros. Discovery & TED. Bob Tansley’s daughter.
Jim Milio, Executive Producer & Director
Executive Producer and Director of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. Co-Executive Producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Jeanette B. Milio, Executive Producer
Veteran producer and financier of motion pictures and television programming for over twenty-five years, working across three continents. Jeanette Milio is the CEO of Alliance Cinema, a film and television content, finance, and production company located in Beverly Hills, CA. Jeanette worked on the development, financing, production, and/or distribution aspects of over 50 film and television projects with Academy Award® winning talent in front of and behind the camera, which are distributed by studios, networks, and streamers including Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, HBO, Showtime, ABC, USA Network, Discovery, TLC, National Geographic, as well as Apple, Amazon, and Netflix, in addition to networks and distributors in Europe.
Practical Magic, Production Services
Award-winning creative engineering and production studio. Practical Magic develops and produces film and television for international distribution and has shows airing in countries all over the world.
