'Lost Lear' in Riverbank will explore dementia

An exploration of dementia is the theme of a new play by Dan Colley, Riverbank Arts Centre artist-in-residence, which will preview on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 July, writes Brian Byrne.

The presentation of Lost Lear is described as a 'very loose' adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, taking its focus from the Act I Scene IV line “Who is it that can tell me who I am?” Colley expands on that to 'examine the self and that part of us that’s inaccessible to others'. 

Lost Lear invites us into the world of Joy, played by Venetia Bowe, a woman with dementia who is being cared for through a method where people live inside an old memory. It is guaranteed to be thought-provoking.

The author's residency since 2019 has been funded by the Arts Council and Kildare County Council, which has supported the development of Lost Lear and two other new works by Dan Colley and collaborators.

Lost Lear is co-produced by Riverbank Arts Centre and Mermaid Arts Centre and supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Fishamble’s New Play Clinic. The world premiere of Lost Lear will take place in Autumn 2022.

This play contains flashing lights and strobe lighting which may not be suitable for photosensitive epilepsy.

For more information please visit www.riverbank.ie.

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