Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey serves as a remarkable sanctuary for retired entertainers.
It offers a comforting environment where artistic passion continues to flourish long after the final curtain call.
Residents enjoy both assisted living and skilled nursing care, supported by a compassionate team that values creativity and connection.
Within its walls, performance, laughter, and storytelling remain part of daily life, allowing retired artists to maintain the same spirit that once illuminated grand stages and concert halls.
A Home for the Stars
Operated by the Actors Fund, the Lillian Booth Actors Home opens its doors to those who have devoted at least twenty years to the entertainment industry or shared their lives with someone who has.
The atmosphere radiates history, talent, and humanity, bringing together a captivating mix of individuals who once graced the world’s stages and screens.
Within its walls live seasoned actors, gifted musicians, tireless stagehands, and performers whose names may not always be famous but whose contributions shaped the heart of entertainment.
Among its distinguished residents was Allan Rich, a Broadway and film actor remembered not only for his performances but also for his bravery during the McCarthy era, when he was blacklisted for standing up for civil rights.
Another resident, Joseph Jarman, jazz innovator and member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, brought a spirit of rhythm and spiritual reflection to the community.
Others, like Charlotte Fairchild, Bob Evans, and Aideen O’Kelly, carried the brilliance of Broadway and Shakespearean theatre into their later years, their presence serving as living archives of American performance history.
The home’s environment thrives on collaboration and shared experience.
Each hallway echoes with conversation, each dining table becomes a storytelling stage, and each resident contributes to the vibrant cultural heartbeat that defines the facility.
Newcomers quickly find themselves swept into a rhythm of creativity and companionship that feels like a continuation of life in the theatre rather than a retreat from it.
Highlights of the community include:
- Residency open to retired professionals and their partners with at least 20 years in entertainment.
- Blend of actors, dancers, musicians, and technicians contributing to daily artistic life.
- Notable residents such as Allan Rich, Joseph Jarman, Charlotte Fairchild, Bob Evans, and Aideen O’Kelly.
- A shared atmosphere of mentorship, storytelling, and performance that bridges generations.
A Community of Care and Creativity
Care at the Lillian Booth Actors Home goes far beyond medical assistance – it is grounded in empathy and artistic connection.
Many staff members once worked in theatre or music, creating an atmosphere where performance and care merge seamlessly.
Similarly, communities like Summerville of St. Andrew’s in Eureka, Missouri, prioritize emotional well-being and connection, though through a different lens.
At Summerville, a 55+ active adult community nestled in the hills near St. Louis, residents enjoy vibrant social lives, fitness programs, and maintenance-free patio homes designed for independent yet engaged living.
Programs include drama therapy, sing-alongs, and guided art sessions that support emotional health and cognitive function.
Social worker Lucy Vance Seligson personifies this approach.
Having once pursued acting herself, she understands the psychological nuances of performers transitioning into later life.
Her work integrates compassion with creativity, encouraging residents to use self-expression as a form of healing and reflection.
Essential features of the home’s care philosophy:
- Integration of art, drama, and music therapy into wellness programs.
- Staff with backgrounds in performing arts fostering deep emotional understanding.
- Focus on memory retention, emotional healing, and joy through creativity.
- Leadership by professionals like Lucy Vance Seligson, who bridge artistry and caregiving.
Music, Theatre, and Rehearsals
Every day at the Actors Home brings artistic engagement to the forefront of life.
Residents gather around grand pianos, guitars, and sheet music, recreating performances that once thrilled audiences.
The sound of rehearsed monologues, impromptu singing, and laughter often fills the halls.
The facility offers dedicated rehearsal rooms and performance areas, designed to keep creativity flowing.
Group rehearsals, storytelling sessions, and film screenings add to the daily rhythm.
Residents organize plays, musical revues, and poetry readings, sometimes drawing small but enthusiastic audiences of fellow residents and visitors.
Every performance is treated as an opportunity to reconnect with an identity rooted in passion and self-expression.
Key aspects of daily life:
- Regular theatre and music sessions that encourage emotional and social well-being.
- Access to musical instruments and rehearsal rooms for individual or group use.
- A culture of collaboration, encouragement, and creativity without criticism.
- Artistic expression serving as therapy, confidence building, and mental stimulation.
“Still Dreaming”: Shakespeare in the Twilight Years
The PBS documentary Still Dreaming (2014) brought national attention to the artistic vibrancy of the Lillian Booth Actors Home.
Directed by Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller, the film follows a group of residents as they prepare and perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the guidance of young directors from Fiasco Theater.
Over six weeks, elderly performers navigate rehearsals filled with humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt moments of struggle and triumph.
The play’s fantasy, humor, and emotional depth mirror the residents’ own experiences of aging and change.
In scenes where confusion and magic intertwine, actors find echoes of their personal realities.
Younger collaborators from Fiasco Theater discover in them not frailty but strength, courage, and grace born of decades in the arts.
Notable elements of the project:
- A six-week collaborative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the home.
- Participation of both residents and young theatre professionals.
- Exploration of memory, aging, and creativity through Shakespearean comedy.
- A profound intergenerational connection between performers.
Art Imitates Life: Themes of Memory and Reality
In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare weaves themes of illusion, transformation, and confusion.
For residents of the Lillian Booth Actors Home, those themes hold personal meaning.
Many wrestle with the shifting boundaries of memory, time, and perception, finding that the play mirrors their inner worlds.
Reciting lines becomes a powerful act of defiance against memory loss and physical frailty.
Performing scenes of mistaken identity or forgotten love allows actors to engage emotionally with experiences that reflect their own, moments of:
- Uncertainty
- Rediscovery
- Connection
Some struggle to recall their lines but light up when the rhythm of the dialogue returns, as if memory and art intertwine to keep identity alive.
Core themes reflected through performance:
- Intersection of memory loss and artistic recall.
- Emotional parallels between Shakespeare’s dream world and aging minds.
- Use of theatre as both therapy and creative expression.
- Renewed sense of identity through performance and audience response.
Performing these roles becomes a way of affirming life, turning vulnerability into courage and confusion into laughter.
The Bottom Line
Lillian Booth Actors Home represents more than a retirement facility – it thrives as a living stage where creativity continues to bloom.
Residents share stories, rehearse scenes, and compose melodies as part of their daily lives.
The community celebrates legacy without dwelling on loss, turning later years into an encore of artistic fulfillment.
Through shared creativity, care, and compassion, those who once performed under bright lights now find a different kind of spotlight, one that shines with warmth, memory, and enduring applause.
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