The moving and darkly comic Irish play "Lost Lear" will receive its North American premiere at The Center for Irish Studies at Villanova University in Pennsylvania this February.
"Lost Lear" tells the story of Joy, a retired actor with dementia, who is reliving her memories of rehearsing the Shakespearean tragedy "King Lear". A nursing home resident, Joy is cared for by staff who recreates her happy memories to maintain a delicate sense of reality.
However, her world is upended by the arrival of her estranged son. With Joy’s memory casting him as the character of Cordelia from the play, he must find a way to speak his piece within the limited role he is given.
"Lost Lear" will run from February 13- 15, 2025 at Villanova University’s Mullen Center for Performing Arts. Click here to buy your tickets.
Written and directed by Irish theater-maker Dan Colley, co-produced by the Riverbank Arts Centre, and developed in collaboration with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, "Lost Lear" aims to enhance accessibility and engagement for people living with dementia.
The play, generously supported by Culture Ireland, combines puppetry, projection, and live video effects to create an immersive theatrical experience. Audiences are invited to step into Joy’s world as layers of her past and present, fiction and reality, overlap and distort.
"Lost Lear". Credit: Ste Murray
"Lost Lear" has captivated audiences across Ireland and New Zealand, offering a thought-provoking exploration of memory, dementia and the unconventional possibilities of human communication.
“Devastating stuff, deftly done…Colley is a theatre maker of remarkable imagination and insight”
– The Stage ★★★★★“Brilliantly conceived and executed…a remarkable achievement”
– Irish Examiner ★★★★★“Bravely visits painful places to tenderly illuminate them”
– The Arts Review ★★★★★“In a role demanding a wide physical and emotional range…Bowe is remarkable”
– Irish Mail on Sunday ★★★★
"Lost Lear". Credit: Ste Murray
About Villanova University’s Center for Irish Studies
The Center for Irish Studies at Villanova University has long been a leader in teaching and scholarship on Irish history, culture, politics, literature, theater, and society, as well as critically examining how the Irish diaspora was formed and how it interacts with Ireland.
They also have an interest in celebrating work from Irish writers, scholars, artists, and theater-makers and presenting that work not only to their campus community but to audiences at large who appreciate Irish arts, culture, and thought.
Click here for more information and tickets to “Lost Lear” running February 13th – 15th at Villanova University’s Mullen Center for Performing Arts. You can find out about all the upcoming events hosted by the Center for Irish Studies here, as well as follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
