ANAMNESIS
31st July – 3rd August 2021
Aliwal Arts Centre
PLAYWRIGHT: CHERYL CHARLI | DIRECTOR: ISAIAH LEE | SET DESIGNER: ISAIAH LEE | SOUND DESIGNER: CHERYL CHARLI | SOUND OPERATOR: TAI NGEE CHIA | LIGHTING DEISGNER: SHAWN CHONG | STAGE MANAGER: AISYAH J. ISKANDAR | PRODUCERS: ISAIAH LEE & CHERYL CHARLI
IZZUL IRFAN AS BILLY BOB & EUGENE
CHERYL CHARLI AS JAMIE & ALICIA
ANAMNESIS derives its name from Roland Barthes’ ‘A Lover’s Discourse’ and bears the meaning “a recollection, especially of a supposed previous existence”.
The play explores the story of an estranged couple as they navigate different waves of loss in their family. Throughout the play, audiences will encounter the lived experiences of this couple and the afterlife of their children. By the end of the play, they must uncover the importance of holding onto each other in order to heal and progress from their traumatic history.
The original work was written by Cheryl Charli, and was performed by Izzul Irfan and Cheryl Charli. It was directed by Isaiah Lee, with sound design by Cheryl Charli, sound operation by Tai Ngee Chia, lighting design and operation by Shawn Chong, and produced by Isaiah Lee and Cheryl Charli. Publicity materials, the official poster, and programme booklet, were designed by Cheryl Charli. ANAMNESIS brought together various freelance artists in an independent production that foregrounds the challenge of navigating a new world in spite of past grievances. This production was supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore and the Arts Fund, and powered by the National Youth Council Young Change Makers.
SYNOPSIS
A theatrical homage to love and its resilience, ANAMNESIS explores love’s tenacity and its relation to the presence and absence of memory amidst circumstances of destabilising loss and psychological displacement. This play invites audiences into the lives of two Singaporean characters whose relationship is tested as they undergo various periods of change and transitions in their lives while holding onto each other and themselves. It interrogates the adversities of the human condition and the tenacity of individuals and families in times of psychological, mental and emotional disasters. ANAMNESIS is a response to forces of destabilisation, as well as a reflection of the importance and resilience of love against the undercurrents of transition and change as love succumbs to the aftermath of trauma, and the impermanence of things, and memory.
ADVISORY
Mature themes. Content Warning: Suicide, depression, mental illness, pregnancy and miscarriage, domestic issues, homophobia, death.
DURATION
Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
> VIEW PROGRAMME BOOKLET
> LISTEN TO PRODUCTION SOUND DESIGN