Dylan Cole Presents BLANK TILES

World Scrabble Champion, Austin Michaels used to know over 200,000 words. Now Alzheimer's disease is eating away at his memory. And Austin is scared.

Since his diagnosis, under the instruction of his wife, Austin has been in a race against time to document his memories, his greatest achievements, before they fade from his mind forever.

Let Austin tell you his story... if he can remember it...

Over the course of the play Austin recounts his early childhood, his love of Scrabble and the events that led him into the world of competitive Scrabble. He shares tales of how he met his wife and the circumstances in which they fell in love.

But rapidly the audiences watches as the disease starts to get worse, he forgets words, he loses his place, he forgets where he is, and in some ways, who he is - and who he was.

Blank Tiles is a fictional autobiographical life story written and performed by Melbourne artist Dylan Cole, who performs the piece armed only with a Dictaphone and a Scrabble board on stage. Cole has written, produced and performed various critically acclaimed works at festivals and theatres around the world.

Following the notable success of Blank Tiles at the Adelaide Fringe, Cole is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time. Cole's performances use intelligent, poignant, witty writing, put in the hand of playful and neurotic characters to produce a unique form of performance that combines comedy, theatre and fictional storytelling.

Equally funny as it is poignant, moving and inspiring, Blank Tiles is inspired in part by Cole's childhood. He himself spent much time playing Scrabble with his late grandmother, who herself suffered with dementia later in life. Utilising his own life experiences and extensive research of both Scrabble and the disease, Cole successfully tackles the seemingly taboo subject of dementia and Alzehimer's Disease in a distinctive, subtle and respectful way - managing to find an understated balance between poignancy and gallows humour.

Blank Tiles is a story of love; love between a man and his hobby, the love of a girl, a love for life and a love of words. It explores how powerful those words can be; how memories shape us into the people we are and what happens to a person when those memories fade.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Blank Tiles

Assembly George Square Studios Room 4

15:55 (60 mins)

3-28th August

(Not 14)

0131 623 3030

www.assemblyfestival.com