Adelaide Fringe

Also a Mirror – Adelaide Fringe 2011

Presented by ECH Inc. and Urban Myth
Reviewed Wednesday 9th March 2011

http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
http://www.urbanmyth.asn.au

Venue: Goodwood Institute Theatre, 166A Goodwood Road, Unley Park
Season: 7pm to Sat 12th , 11am Thurs 10th, Fri 11th, 2pm Sat 12th, 4pm Sun 13th March 2011
Duration: 60mins
Tickets: adults $15/conc $12
Bookings: Fringe TIX outlets or http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au

The latest work from Urban Myth looks at dementia, with Sean Riley’s script being based on true stories told by sufferers, their carers and families. Some sections are taken from more complete stories, some are fragments, some merely a sentence or two. Riley has assembled these in a poetic piece that respects those whose memories elude them. If we are the sum of our memories and experiences, he asks, then what are we when we cannot remember the past. Riley places a focus, too, on the effect on family and friends.

Director, Glenn Hayden, has added images, by Madeleine Parry and students from various schools, and sound, by Timothy Lorimar, to create a multimedia production. Kerry Reid’s superb set and costumes, white or lightly coloured, form one giant screen for the projection of the images and films, and Nivven Barlow’s lighting is imaginatively arranged to work closely with those projections

The fifteen performers, whose ages range from mid teens to early twenties, treat the script with a gentleness and sensitivity as they explore stories of a child trying to come to terms with a drastically changed grandparent, wives whose husbands no longer remember them, a woman trying to remember a particular word, and other sad tales. There is some superb work by the cast in a very even production that brings out the poignancy in each of these situations.

This work does a great service to those suffering from memory loss, those who love them and those who care for them. Hurry to get tickets.

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor, Glam Adelaide.

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