Mnemonic (play)

Last updated
Mnemonic
Written by Complicite
Date premieredJuly 1999, revived in revised versions, 2001 and 2002
Place premiered Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (first version)
Royal National Theatre, London (2001 revival)
Bosnian National Theatre, Sarajevo (2002 revival)
Original languageEnglish
SubjectMemory
Genre Postmodern
SettingVarious locations across Europe

Mnemonic is a play created by the British theatre company Complicite. It uses several interrelated stories to explore the subject of memory.

Contents

Synopsis

Mnemonic begins with a lecture by the director, who encourages the audience to try to recall past memories. It then tells two parallel stories: in one, a man named Virgil tries to find his girlfriend, Alice, who has run away to Europe to hunt for her long-lost father; the other relates the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,000-year-old mummified corpse. Through recurring images and situations the play draws parallels between these stories, focusing on the theme of the role of the imagination in recapturing the past.

Characters

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References

  1. "Death of the Iceman". BBC.co.uk. 7 February 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2002.
  2. Josh Cohen. "Simonides of Ceos". Artofmemory.com. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.