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The Art of Remembering

The Art of Remembering
Your Price: $15.95 CDN
Author: Adina L. Ruskin
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service (cover may change)
Format: Softcover
# of Pages: 40
Pub. Date: 1998
Edition: Acting
ISBN-10: 0822216078
ISBN-13: 9780822216070
Cast Size: 3 female

About the Play:

The Art of Remembering is a one-act drama by Adina L. Ruskin. As a young women unboxes the belongings of her late father, she takes a journey into her memories. From her grandmother's journey to America, to her own journey to France, The Art of Remembering examines identity, memory, and the connection between all human beings.

The Art of Remembering is about Rebecca, a grieving woman who returns home to bury her father. While there, she cleans out her childhood closet, and as she rediscovers objects, memories about her own life, the life of her grandmother, and even the lives of strangers, come tumbling out. She finds herself immersed in the past and her persona splits into three different aspects, portrayed by three actors who travel through time and myriad of memories in a non-linear fashion. Together, the three Rebeccas, drift from memory to memory, reconfiguring and re-enacting the past in an attempt to console, celebrate, and reconcile. There's a memory about a feisty Polish-Jewish émigré taking America by storm, an Argentinian activist who stands against his country's repression, and a woman who saw the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall – among many others. And as you bear witness to these memories, you begin to see Rebecca as the sum of her collective past, a beautiful collage of all that has happened around her. The Art of Remembering reminds us of the beauty of life and the importance of honouring the dead and remembering our past, especially world-shattering events like the Holocaust and the building of the Berlin Wall. As the script says, "it only takes one generation to forget."

The Art of Remembering premiered in 1996 at The Roman Eagle Lodge during the 50th Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. It won critical acclaim and was heralded by the BBC as "Best of Fringe". It was also selected as the best one-act play in England in 2001. The play has been performed in regional, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 3 female

What people say:

"Four Stars, Pick of the Day…Marcel Proust bit into a biscuit and his memory took off for several volumes… The Art of Remembering has a cast of three and some mimed relics and remembered addresses, but they speak volumes in under an hour… inspiringly creative. It is certainly guaranteed to heal any misgivings you may have about the endurance of the human spirit." — The Scotsman

"Three women, each with a suitcase, unpack the memorabilia of their life experience, letting loose memories of people and places and events in evocative fragments reaching back over the century. In Adina L. Ruskin's cinematic-style collage play, cleverly composed… the memories are momentarily held before us, then dissolve as others take their place. The careful blend of poignancy and lively humour add to its special appeal." — The Stage (UK)

"The Art of Remembering is an intimate, honest, and moving theatrical experience honoring the memories that shape us, the people who touch us, and a past that sometimes picks us up, takes us for an unexpected ride, then carries us all the way back to the present, wiser and braver and more resolved." — The Austin Chronicle

bout the Playwright:

Adina L. Ruskin is an American actress, teacher, and playwright who was born in New York City of French and Argentine heritage. Her first play, The Art of Remembering, was selected as the best one-act play in England in 2001.