170: The 'D' Word with Pete Hill and guest Rachael Savage founder of Vamos Theatre

170: The 'D' Word with Pete Hill and guest Rachael Savage founder of Vamos Theatre

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety and dementia care at the same time? This conversation between host Pete Hill and mask theatre director Rachael Savage offers a fresh angle: communication doesn’t have to rely on words. As founder and artistic director of Vamos Theatre, Rachael explains full mask theatre – performances done in complete silence where the masks cover the whole face. “We don’t speak… nonverbal communication is my specialism,” she says.

That focus has led to shows on tough subjects like forced adoption, PTSD, ADHD and, crucially here, dementia. Rachael talks about *Finding Joy*, a play about living well with dementia that grew out of deeply personal research, including time spent living with a family where a grandson became his gran’s carer. She shares how audiences often say, “My mum’s got dementia.

This has changed the way in which the whole family is going to care for her.” A big part of the chat centres on her training work, *Listening with Your Eyes* and *The Art of Care* films, which highlight the power of pauses, body language and what she calls “all the quiet stuff”.

She urges carers to “stop speaking, be quiet and watch,” giving striking examples of mirroring movement, using touch and playfulness, and how this can unlock connection with people who are non-verbal. Humour runs through everything. Rachael insists people living with dementia “want to laugh as much as anybody,” and shows how laughter opens people up, builds trust and can ease some of the fear around difficult diagnoses.

If you’re supporting someone with dementia, working in care, or just curious about how art, sobriety and compassionate communication can cross over, this episode offers practical ideas and a lot of heart. Which small, quiet change could you try next time words fail you?