Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017 – The Nature of Forgetting
Following a sell-out run at the 2017 London International Mime Festival, Theatre Re’s The Nature of Forgetting is a powerful, explosive and joyous piece about what is left
when memory and recollection are gone.
It is part of British Council Edinburgh Showcase 2017.
Tom has just turned 55. As he dresses for his birthday party, tangled threads of disappearing memories spark him into life, unravelling as a tale of friendship, love and guilt. This ambitious project with actors, mimes and musicians has been created in collaboration with UCL Neuroscience Professor Kate Jeffery and inspired by interviews and workshops with organisations such as the Alzheimer’s Society. While the medium of performance may be an unusual resource for the transmission of science, it shines a light on issues around memory that offers a new perspective.
Director Guillaume Pigé comments, The Nature of Forgetting is not about dementia. It is about the fragility of life and that eternal ‘something’ we all share that is left when memory is gone. Our collaboration with Professor Kate Jeffery and our interviews with people living with dementia and their carers have resulted in a life-affirming journey into a weakening mind, where broken does not have to mean defeated.
The development process for The Nature of Forgetting lasted for 16 months, funded by Arts Council England. The piece is co-commissioned by the London International Mime Festival, The Point and South Hill Park.
Established in 2009, Theatre Re is a London-based international ensemble creating thought-provoking, tangible and poignant work. Its shows examine fragile human conditions, in a compelling, physical style embracing mime, theatre and live music.
Pleasance Courtyard (Forth) | 60 Pleasance EH8
9TJ |Thursday 3 – 27 August 2017 (not 14), 12:00