S73 - Memoirs of a Forgotten Man by D.W. Gregory - 2m, 2w (flexible, 10 characters)
A Soviet journalist with the gift of total recall. A psychologist seeking to rehabilitate herself. A government censor with a secret past. Over two decades their fates become entwined as victims and collaborators in Stalin’s campaign to rewrite public memory.
Long before fake news was a trending topic, it was called propaganda. And in the Soviet Union, circa 1938, it was the grease that kept Stalin’s machinery of terror in motion. Memoirs of a Forgotten Man takes us to a world where justice is arbitrary and freedom as we know it does not exist.
Labels: drama, flexible cast
posted by Larisa at 2:18 PM
10 Comments:
The idea is interesting, but the narrative structure was not compelling to me. The form of interview with flashbacks made it feel like a bottleneck episode of a TV show or something.
I liked it, but it didn't grab me. I think it would be easy to stage in the round. My vote is keep it in the mix.
it is awfully "talky" with not a lot of compelling action but I did like the mystery of it and an atypical historical backdrop (especially interesting in our current time). I'll admit to being a fan of flashbacks and playing with time in a play so that was a plus for me. Like Jean, I'd say keep it in the mix for now - we can always say goodbye to it later.
I think it is an interesting read. I don't find it very exciting as a play. With the narration and flashbacks, it might make a better radio play. I think we can do better.
After reading the other comments I was prepared to not like this script. Quite the contrary. I loved this play and would love to see it performed. I found the subject intriguing and I adored the character of Alexei. The imagery in his dialogue is gorgeous, and the dilemma he is suffering over his memory is agonizing. Imagine living in a society in which having perfect memory is seen not only as a defect but as a threat to your very existence. And, of course, Alexei isn't the only one under threat. Society itself is at risk. As we see this very situation playing out here in the U.S. it is even more compelling. How much is a person willing to deny in order to just "get along?" And I love the revelations about the other characters. I'm hoping that others will take another look at it and reconsider.
From Don: I liked the story, but I agree with the challenges that the flashbacks/flashforwards present. That seems more fitting for film (where settings are changed quickly and frequently) than theatre. Maybe this could be done in a slightly larger space with lots of isolated lighting. But even then, there’s the challenge of convincing the audience that one character is now a completely different character without any time for a costume change (or even a quick addition of a hat or scarf).
If we really want to consider this play, we should also consider how important some of the scenic descriptions are. The window that projections are displayed on seems to be emphasized a few times (especially with Stalin watching the play like Big Brother in “1984”). If we think this is necessary, we might run into a similar challenge that was brought up about the painting in “Art”.
Sorry for the delay. I have been struggling to get through this one for a few weeks. I kept trying to find a like for it. I like the non linier storytelling, but I struggle with the story telling and not showing of the piece. I had an issue with the projections and the way we have solved it in the past is to project into Tunnel, Above Cedar and over Main. Part of me thinks this could work here, but I fell asleep reading it repeatedly and I would rather find something more appealing and engaging.
Just realized I didn't post my comment on this one. I loved this play. I thought the stakes from the get go were high for this woman who is being called to defend her work in order to get published, and then the story unfolded more and more that he had a secret agenda and then there was all this subtext about propaganda and what is truth and hiding truth and the inability to forget what really happened. It would need to be in the hands of a talented director to take you between the present and the past but it would be such a fun challenge to perform. However, it is a similar narrative style to "Emilie ... defends her life tonight" which might be harder to produce but maybe more compelling?
I liked this play a lot, an interesting and intellectual play combining sociology with psychology and history. The tension was consistently high and I was eager to see what would happen next. I agree with some comments that the narration-heavy style of this play and lack of consistent action could make it seem slow...but with the right direction and staging, I think this play could be a great choice.
While I didn't fall asleep reading it like Scott did I found myself skimming a lot, which is not good. Plus I read it last week and couldn't remember much about it, also not good. In looking at the rest of the posts I agree with the issues they mentioned. So I would say no to this one.
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