"There is something, way down deep that’s eternal about every human being... And that’s what’s left when memory is gone "(Thornton Wilder in Our Town) ...

THEATRE Re will present an exclusive preview of The Nature of Forgetting in Hampshire before its world premiere at the London International Mime Festival.

It will be at The Point in Eastleigh for just one performance on Friday January 6 at 7.30pm.

To forget implies the loss of accessibility to a memory. But, it does not have to mean that the information is lost. Tom is 55, today. As he dresses for his birthday party, tangled threads of disappearing memories re-awaken him as he recalls tales of friendship, love and guilt. Inspired by recent neurobiological research, interviews with people living with dementia and the work of theatre director Tadeusz Kantor, The Nature of Forgetting is a powerful, haunting and beautiful piece about the inability to recollect and what remains when memory is gone.

Kate Jeffery, Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience & Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London) said: "The medium of performance is an unusual one for transmission of science, and while it is a vastly different form of communication from, say, reading a textbook, it shines a light on the issues that allows a new perspective, for scientists as well as audiences."

Director Guillaume Pigé added: "Our collaboration with Professor Kate Jeffery generated ideas that have helped to develop and influence our work. Among the areas damaged first in Alzheimer's disease patients is the hippocampus. The role of the hippocampal formation is to create a map of space, and then to use this map to organise memory - a little bit like a ‘workshop’. We followed the idea of having a malfunctioning ‘workshop’ on stage, where memories are constructed and deconstructed… And without realising it, concepts of the neurobiology of memory framed our entire development process and helped us define a clear performance language."

Established in 2009, Theatre Re is a London-based international ensemble creating thought-provoking, tangible and poignant work. Its shows examine fragile human conditions in a compelling, physical style embracing mime and theatre. Previous productions have toured widely following successful Edinburgh Fringe seasons. Theatre Re is Associate Artist at The Point, Eastleigh and South Hill Park Arts Centre, and a Supported Company of The Greenwich Theatre.

Box Office Tickets are available for £5 from www.thepointeastleigh.co.uk or 023 8065 2333

Notes Ages 8+