The Nature of Forgetting at West Yorkshire Playhouse
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Theatre Re have had an explosive 2017 – following sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and London’s International Mime Festival. Established in 2009, Theatre Re are a London-based international ensemble who aim to create thought-provoking, tangible and poignant work that examines fragile human conditions, spanning the boundaries of mime and theatre. This year the company are pleased to present The Nature of Forgetting as part of the Every Third Minute Festival at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds.
Every Third Minute is a brand-new festival of theatre and dementia, created by people living with dementia. The festival presents a varied programme of live music, theatre and performance as a way of exploring new approaches to looking at dementia. Theatre Re’s The Nature of Forgetting is a stunning physical theatre piece, powerful yet heartwarming, which looks at memory and the space that is left in its absence.
The Nature of Forgetting aims to look at dementia through the eyes of the person living with the diagnosis. We meet Tom as he gets ready to celebrate his 55th birthday – the stage becomes the space in which he can share the last of his memories before they disappear entirely.
The small ensemble shift through time and place smoothly, depicting important events in Tom’s life, from his school days through to his marriage and family experiences. The impressive physical theatre sequences are set to Alex Judd’s dreamlike musical score, which is performed live alongside the action.
And if a physical theatre show that explores the facets and strands of dementia doesn’t initially sound like your cup of tea – you really should give it a try. Beautiful, breathtaking and wonderfully energetic, The Nature of Forgetting finds the joyous despite the bleak outlook, inspiring compassion and celebration in equal measure – encouraging us to talk, share and understand dementia together.
