19:45, Tue 2nd – Sat 6th May 2023 at ADC Theatre
Easter Week 1

"Perhaps one of the last great mysteries is the one we carry inside our heads"

Mnemonic, a play originally conceived and directed by Simon McBurney and devised by company Complicite, is about more than human memory. In this production, we question not only who, but what holds memories. Through an archaeological frame, Complicite subtly compares the experience of time and place of both real people and inanimate objects. Though, can you be both? The first narrative of the play retraces the investigation of the archaeological mystery, 'Iceman', a body found somewhere between Austria and Italy and kept intact in the snow for 5,000 years. The second intertwined narrative follows Virgil as he recalls his memories with an ex-lover, Alice, while she searches for her estranged father. As the two struggle relentlessly to uncover their origins and memories, it seems the more they know, the less they understand. And so can be said for the enigmatic Iceman.

For it is a startling realisation to find that we only know a fraction of the stories we carry in our veins.

In this adaptation of Mnemonic, we highlight these ever-present human conditions through a form of bold, physical storytelling. By these means, we present a piece that is both captivating and deeply symbolic.