The Forgettory
If we don't remember who we were, then who do we become?
Alone in a new city, her last bottle of wine nearly empty, a woman drinks but can never forget. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, her grandfather wanders the past fighting to remember. And in between, there are memories of birth and death, childhood and adolescence. A compassionate story about a woman’s identity, family memory and ageing.
“South Australian playwright Tracy Crisp’s stories of memory and family are so vivid and affecting in The Forgettory they stay with you long after the theatre lights fade.”
Louise Nunn | The Advertiser
About the show
Told in four sections–insomnia, birth, death dementia–The Forgettory explores family identity in the context of that most mysterious of cognitive processes, memory. Like many people, I am fascinated by memory in all its facets, by what we remember, what we forget, and how it shapes the stories we tell ourselves.
This is probably the most challenging piece to perform, because it takes me back to many of the most challenging moments of my life. But I am always left enriched by its final moments and with a strong sense of connection to people I love deeply.
I always enjoy the way this piece echoes Pearls, but at the same time tells new family stories in new ways.
Acknowledgments and credits
Written and performed by Tracy Crisp
Directed by Maggie Wood
Love and support by Adrian Jones
Image by Kate Pardey
First staged at The Bakehouse Theatre Studio, Adelaide Fringe 2019
An early draft of part four (dementia) was first read at The Hearth and a later draft was read at tenx9 Adelaide
A (very) early draft of part three (death) was read at tenx9 Adelaide.
A version of part four (dementia) was published in Meanjin, Summer 2019
Thank you to my family who appear in The Forgettory especially to my son for his openness in having his story shared
