The Forgettory @ Studio At Bakehouse Theatre, Adelaide 19/2/2019
Who are we? To ourselves and to others?
An alarm clock
A baby onesie
A knitted scarf
A photograph
It’s an intimate tale, set in an intimate space, told by a woman who remembers everything.
The small room at the Bakehouse Theatre is perfect for this kind of storytelling.
Tracy’s story begins at 1:30am on the 44th floor of an apartment block in Abu Dhabi, and we are invited to spend time in her memories of being a mother, a daughter and a granddaughter. Its an interesting thought to ponder when you realise you are all three at once.
And who do we become when our memories start to fade and disappear, when the storage box in our mind becomes more of a forgettory?
Despite the initial setting in the United Arab Emirates, it’s a local story, many of the places mentioned would be familiar to the audience. The backdrop I found the most affecting was the Repat Hospital. Sitting beside a dying relative, keeping the conversation light and humorous and then falling into the ‘remember when’s’. It certainly brought many feelings of guilt to the surface of my mind. Whether or not that was the intention, I don’t know, but I do know I’ll be visiting my grandparents soon.
Told through letters and conversations, we are invited to travel through Tracy’s vivid memories; from the ladybirds and shiny rocks of her childhood to the love and loss of becoming a parent and losing hers. It’s a beautiful story full of sadness and laughter. A journey of births and deaths, of discovering who you are, but most of all, its a story about love.
The Forgettory is playing to sold out crowds for the rest of the week, but if you’re interested in more from this South Australian playwright, she has also written two novels. Black Dust Dancing, and Surrogate.
Fringe Review By Carly Whittaker
For tickets, show dates and times for The Forgettory head to Fringe-Tix.