Group
Group

Lost Lear

Riverbank Arts Centre and Mermaid Arts Centre presents

10-11 November 2023

An image of a person comprised of mix match images of different faces, flowers and plants. They wear a crown.
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.

“Who is it that can tell me who I am?”

― King Lear, Act I Scene IV

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.

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.

There will be a post-show Q&A on the 10th of November with the Dementia Carers Campaign Network and the company after the show featuring the company and also Paddy Crosbie who is a member of the DCCN. Dementia Carers Campaign Network is a group of people who have experience caring for a loved one with dementia. They aim to be a voice of and for dementia carers in Ireland and to raise awareness of issues affecting families living with dementia.

Lost Lear Familiarisation Guide: Find here a welcome pack containing information about the venue, content to flag in the show, images of the cast, and a brief synopsis of the play. This guide provides information in order to ensure the audience know what to expect and feel comfortable in our space.

Co-produced by Mermaid Arts Centre and Riverbank Arts Centre and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Fishamble’s New Play Clinic.

★★★★★ The Stage “Devastating stuff, deftly done…Colley is a theatre maker of remarkable imagination and insight” ★★★★★ The Examiner “Brilliantly conceived and executed…a remarkable achievement” ★★★★★ The Arts Review “Bravely visits painful places to tenderly illuminate them” ‘Best New Play’, ‘Audience Choice’, ‘Best AV Design’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ nominee at the Irish Times Theatre Awards

The Arts Council of Ireland Project Arts Centre is proudly supported by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council.

Written by Dan Colley, with the company, after Shakespeare Directed by Dan Colley Cast Joy – Venetia Bowe Conor – Peter Daly Laim – Manus Halligan Ensemble – Clodagh O’Farrel, Em Ormonde Composed by Daniel McAuley Set Design – Andrew Clancy Lighting Design – Suzie Cummins Costume Design – Cherie White Sound Design – Kevin Gleeson AV Design – Ross Ryder Assistant Director – Joy Nesbitt Stage Manager – Evie McGuinness Assistant Stage Manager – Sarah Purcell Sound Operator – John Norton Chief LX – Adrian Moylan Chief AV – Laura Rainsford Assistant Production Manager – Ben Moore Production Manager – Eoin Kilkenny Graphic Design – Sarah Moloney Lead Image – Patricio Cassinoni Production Photography – Ste Murray Producer – Matthew Smyth

Dan Colley is a theatre maker with a particular focus on devised ensemble work, theatre-for-young-audiences and large-scale spectacle. As Artistic Director of Collapsing Horse (2013-19) he directed nine original productions, a series of ten radio plays, an exhibition in the National Museum, and toured to New York, London, Edinburgh, Bergen, Moscow, and 15 Irish venues. He was also Co-Artistic Director of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival from 2017-19. Collapsing Horse’s final production, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards and four Dublin Fringe Awards, including ‘Best Production’. Dan directed and co-created TWENTY FIFTY with Fionnuala Gygax, an online interactive theatre piece part of DUETS in Dublin Fringe 2020. Dan was awarded the Arts Council’s Next Generation Bursary Award in 2016. He is Theatre Artist in Residence in the Riverbank Arts Centre, a member of the Project Arts Centre, and on the board of the Dublin Fringe Festival.

Please note: 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 If you require assistance for your visit, please do not hesitate to contact us at access@projectartscentre.ie or call 01 8819 613 . You can find the latest information about Project’s accessibility here

“Who is it that can tell me who I am?”

― King Lear, Act I Scene IV

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.

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.

There will be a post-show Q&A on the 10th of November with the Dementia Carers Campaign Network and the company after the show featuring the company and also Paddy Crosbie who is a member of the DCCN. Dementia Carers Campaign Network is a group of people who have experience caring for a loved one with dementia. They aim to be a voice of and for dementia carers in Ireland and to raise awareness of issues affecting families living with dementia.

Lost Lear Familiarisation Guide: Find here a welcome pack containing information about the venue, content to flag in the show, images of the cast, and a brief synopsis of the play. This guide provides information in order to ensure the audience know what to expect and feel comfortable in our space.

Co-produced by Mermaid Arts Centre and Riverbank Arts Centre and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Fishamble’s New Play Clinic.

ACCESSIBILITY

Please note: 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

If you require assistance for your visit, please do not hesitate to contact us at access@projectartscentre.ie or call 01 8819 613 . You can find the latest information about Project’s accessibility here

CREDITS

Written by Dan Colley, with the company, after Shakespeare

Directed by Dan Colley

Cast
Joy – Venetia Bowe
Conor – Peter Daly
Laim – Manus Halligan
Ensemble – Clodagh O’Farrel, Em Ormonde
Composed by Daniel McAuley

Set Design – Andrew Clancy

Lighting Design – Suzie Cummins

Costume Design – Cherie White

Sound Design – Kevin Gleeson

AV Design – Ross Ryder

Assistant Director – Joy Nesbitt

Stage Manager – Evie McGuinness

Assistant Stage Manager – Sarah Purcell

Sound Operator – John Norton

Chief LX – Adrian Moylan

Chief AV – Laura Rainsford

Assistant Production Manager – Ben Moore

Production Manager – Eoin Kilkenny

Graphic Design – Sarah Moloney

Lead Image – Patricio Cassinoni

Production Photography – Ste Murray

Producer – Matthew Smyth

BIOGRAPHIES

Dan Colley is a theatre maker with a particular focus on devised ensemble work, theatre-for-young-audiences and large-scale spectacle. As Artistic Director of Collapsing Horse (2013-19) he directed nine original productions, a series of ten radio plays, an exhibition in the National Museum, and toured to New York, London, Edinburgh, Bergen, Moscow, and 15 Irish venues. He was also Co-Artistic Director of the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival from 2017-19. Collapsing Horse’s final production, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards and four Dublin Fringe Awards, including ‘Best Production’. Dan directed and co-created TWENTY FIFTY with Fionnuala Gygax, an online interactive theatre piece part of DUETS in Dublin Fringe 2020.

Dan was awarded the Arts Council’s Next Generation Bursary Award in 2016. He is Theatre Artist in Residence in the Riverbank Arts Centre, a member of the Project Arts Centre, and on the board of the Dublin Fringe Festival.

PRESS

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

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

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

‘Best New Play’, ‘Audience Choice’, ‘Best AV Design’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’ nominee at the Irish Times Theatre Awards

FUNDING

The Arts Council of Ireland

Project Arts Centre is proudly supported by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council.

Tickets

€16/€18

Time

10-11 Nov 7.30pm

11 Nov 2.30pm

(Duration 75 minutes)

Location

Space Upstairs

Content Warning
Contains strong themes including depiction of the experience of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

Genres

Theatre
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