“Who is it that can tell me who I am?” – King Lear, Act I Scene IV

Following the national and international tour of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Dan Colley and his company have turned their sights on a very (very) loose adaptation of King Lear, examining the self and that part of us that’s inaccessible to others.

A moving and darkly comic remix of Shakespeare’s play told from the point of view of Joy, a person with dementia, who is living in an old memory of rehearsing King Lear. Joy’s delicately maintained reality is upended by the arrival of her estranged son who, being cast as Cordelia, must find a way to speak his piece from within the limited role he’s given. Using puppetry, projection and live video effects, the audience are landed in Joy’s world as layers of her past and present, fiction and reality, overlap and distort. Lost Lear is a thought provoking meditation on theatre, artifice and the possibility of communicating across the chasms between us. All at once fast paced and thought-provoking, Lost Lear lands us into the world of Joy, a woman with dementia, who is being cared for through a method where people live inside an old memory.

★★★★★ The Stage
“Devastating stuff, deftly done…Colley is a
theatre maker of remarkable imagination
and insight”

★★★★★ Irish Examiner
“Brilliantly conceived and executed…
a remarkable achievement”

★★★★★ The Arts Review
“Bravely visits painful places to tenderly
illuminate them”

★★★★ Irish Mail on Sunday
“In a role demanding a wide physical and
emotional range…Bowe is remarkable”

Funded by The Arts Council, An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Co-produced by Riverbank Arts Centre & Mermaid Arts Centre. Supported by field:arts.

Cast and Creative Team
Directed by Dan Colley
Composed by Daniel McAuley
Set Design: Andrew Clancy
Lighting Design: Suzie Cummins
Costume Design: Cherie White
Sound Design: Kevin Gleeson
AV design: Ross Ryder
Performed by Venetia Bowe, Peter Daly, Manus Halligan, Em Ormonde & Clodagh O’Farrell

Image: Pato Cassinoni / Graphic Design: Sarah Moloney

This play contains flashing lights and strobe lighting which may not be suitable for photosensitive epilepsy. Suitable for ages 14+ years.

Contains strong themes including depiction of the experience of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

If you have been affected by this material in any way, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s National Helpline is available 6 days a week on 1800 341 341 or email helpline@alzheimer.ie

Duration 75 mins.

Friday’s performance will be followed by a Q&A – guests TBC.

Riverbank Lost Lear Familiarisation Guide