EDINBURGH 2017: BWW Q&A- The Nature of Forgetting

Tell us a bit about The Nature of Forgetting.

The Nature of Forgetting deals with a man's inability to recollect his life. Featuring specially composed live music and skilfully executed physicality, it explores what happens in the brain when we forget.

Our main character is Tom; a middle-aged father living with early onset dementia, being cared for by his daughter Sophie. We meet him on the day of his 55th birthday. As he struggles to get dressed for his party, the feel of his clothes sparks him into life and unravels a tale of friendship, love and guilt. Ultimately, the piece is not about dementia but the fragility of life and that eternal 'something' we all share which is left when memory is gone.

What was the inspiration for the piece?

There wasn't just one source of inspiration for the development of the piece, but it all emerged from one question, which was: what is eternal?

To find answers we were very inspired by the work of Polish writer Bruno Schulz and Polish theatre director Tadeusz Kantor, with pieces such as The Dead Class and Wielopole, Wielopole. Both shows deal with the world of childhood memories and the impossibility of returning to one's past - which is what happens to people living with dementia. They are unable to reconstruct past memories. We were also really inspired by the atmosphere, the apparent simplicity and the inherent theatricality of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

How did you research the show?

We collaborated with Professor Kate Jeffery of the Neuroscience Department at the University College of London. This gave us a good understanding of what actually happens in the brain when we forget and allowed us to use some of these mechanisms to develop our piece.

The show was also informed via workshops and interviews conducted with people living with dementia and their carers throughout our development process. Our aim was not to collect personal stories but to explore the special bond that exist between memory and music, and to create links between the science and the real human experience.

How has it been received so far?

The Nature of Forgetting deals with a difficult subject and one that is very close to most people's heart. We all know someone who is or has been affected by this condition. We knew from the start that the dangers were to end up with everyone feeling miserable at the end of the show or for us to be overly sentimental.

The piece is still relatively new as we have only performed it three times as part of the London International Mime Festival last January, but judging from the responses we have received, it seems that the show is neither of those and just profoundly human and ultimately very positive. It seems that people connected with the work in a deep and intuitive way and that it will live with them for a long time.

Who would you recommend comes to see The Nature of Forgetting?

It is interesting to try to think about who our target audience is for this piece. The easy answer would be to talk about the lovers of physical and visual theatre, those interested in interdisciplinary and intercultural practices, as well as those looking for new ways of making and seeing theatre, but I don't think any of these categories would fully do justice to the work.

Yes, we are not using much text (almost none in the show) and rely mainly on the visuals, the physicality and the live music elements to tell our story. But that story is clear and we witness fully fleshed characters going through life changing experiences. We see how they are being changed by these experiences. We see their struggles, their dreams, their fears, their failures and ultimately their humanity. So I would recommend for anyone to come to see The Nature of Forgetting as there is something in it for everyone.

Timings and ticket information for The Nature of Forgetting are available on the edfringe website.

Photo Credit: Danilo Moroni