Soul secrets

Judy Wark, 52
After losing her husband to cancer, Judy, a writer and musician, volunteers with grieving families and is developing a book for other young widows. She is an active mother of three teenagers and lives in Calgary.

Lessons from the stage: "I rediscovered the creative side of me that has been undernourished until now. From the very beginning of the process, the cast realized that the stories we shared were sacred. We found courage to be ourselves by listening to and accepting each other. I believe I am more whole because the cast so completely shared their lives with one another."

Rewriting the script on aging: "Pretty is the domain of youth, but enduring beauty comes to those who have mastered what life hurls at them with grace. The women I most admire allow their beauty to shine through their convictions and character, and this tends to come as we age. Aging is part and parcel of being human."

Pauline Patten, 56
Pauline is an endless well of energy. This mother of four and grandmother
of 11 owns two hair salons and loves helping young people.

Lessons from the stage: "Before I did this play I was a little critical of my body. Now, I feel so good about myself. I feel beautiful! I did things I never knew I could do: sing, act, memorize lines and tell my story to hundreds of people. I have so much confidence. I've finally found the person I really am."

Rewriting the script on aging: "Beauty is within, that's how I see beauty. It has no age. People say I'm so beautiful because I'm always happy and smiling. When a woman comes to my salon, I feel so good inside when I see her smile on the way out."

Janice Kulyk Keefer, 56
Janice is an accomplished novelist and poet – her work has twice been nominated for a Governor General's Award – as well as a professor of literature and theatre at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

Lessons from the stage: "I have made friends with 12 extraordinary women with very different backgrounds and experiences. In a few months, we have gotten to know one another in ways and to a degree of depth that we might not have achieved in 30 years. Working collaboratively on and in a play has given me a wonderful sense of community."

Rewriting the script on aging: "I hope younger women especially will see the documentary and learn that aging is an experience to be lived to the fullest and not feared. It presents challenges and bestows gifts in equal measure. We learn with age to find beauty in a host of things outside ourselves. What a liberation!"

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