Forget Me Not

Welcome to the New Now, a time in which written language has been forbidden and forgotten. Those who desire to have their love letters written and read must make a dangerous journey to the secret and illegal camp of She, the Keeper of the Lost Hand. Aided by the mysterious showman Me, She recounts how her past led her to be one of the last people able to read and write in cursive. The tandem tale of Zako Budaydos and His Dancing Bear illuminates the time of the Before, when the carnival performer had to rely on wit, love, and a secret coded language in order to survive.

Internationally renowned playwright and puppeteer Ronnie Burkett has once again created a fascinating and provocative world as a love letter for increasingly uncivilized times.

AUTHOR

Ronnie Burkett

Ronnie Burkett has been captivated by puppetry since the age of seven, when he opened the World Book Encyclopedia to “Puppets.” He began touring his puppet shows at the age of fourteen and has been on the road ever since. Ronnie has received numerous awards in Canadian theatre as a playwright, actor, and designer for his work with Theatre of Marionettes, including the Herbert Whittaker Drama Bench Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian Theatre, and international recognition including a Village Voice OBIE Award in New York for Off Broadway Theatre. From his peers, Ronnie has received three Citations for Excellence in the Art of Puppetry from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette and the President’s Award from the Puppeteers of America. Recognized as one of the world’s foremost theatre artists, his work has created an unprecedented adult audience for puppet theatre, and continuously plays to great critical and public acclaim in Canada, the U.K., Australia, Germany, Austria, Sweden, and elsewhere. Ronnie is the 2009 recipient of the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. When not wiggling dollies in front of strangers, Ronnie lives in Toronto.

Reviews

“The marriage of his passion, with the stories, with the themes, and with the audience encased in a performance event, is a joy to be part of.”

“Burkett is a master puppeteer, his creations appear to have lives of their own, to breathe and feel, but he also is a master at pulling the strings of his audience.”

“Forget Me Not stands out most as an act of unconditional generosity.”

“Forget Me Not is lively and raucous and tender and also a deeply longing work—longing for connection, for communication, for love, for safety, for ritual, for comfort.”

“It will likely move you in unexpected ways. The puppets are alive. The heartbreak, when it comes, is real.”

“Forget Me Not is funny, dark in nature, thoughtful, brooding and full of Burkett’s conscience and heart.”

“Forget Me Not is a meditation on love, loss, connectivity and a heartfelt reminder of the power and symbolism of the written word, especially words of love.”