Forgetting Remembering, created by Robert Kingsbury and presented by Kingsbury and Not Applicable Productions, is something unto itself. Playing at the Factory Theatre Studio as part of SummerWorks 2015, the show is a show but not a show, but is a show.

That last sentence comes from a part in Forgetting Remembering when the performers, led by Robert, spoke words into the air and Robert would play with them in a way so as to bring out the philosophy behind that word’s specific meaning. It brought up questions of what exactly each word meant, and I feel the best way to explain this was to reflect it back on the show itself.

There is no specific through line in Forgetting Remembering. While it is listed as part of the SummerWorks Dance Series, I feel this is somewhat misleading as only about a quarter of the show — just at the beginning — involves anything resembling dance. I would argue it is more of an “experience” with movement.

Further to that, there are moments where the entire show seemed improvised, in that the next stage would be introduced as an invitation to the audience. One of these invitations was for the audience to contemplate their next action and then act and reflect to whether their action was in line with their original idea. Many audience members participated so the exercise was fruitful in a way.

At points I was engaged with the material and it did not seem like 90 minutes had passed when I left the theatre, but for the majority of the show I found I was questioning exactly what I was experiencing. Was this a philosophical experiment that I was not privy to?

I did think the inclusionary nature of the performance was great as it seemed everyone was welcome to act and react in whatever way they felt appropriate, and at one point even one of the crew joined the others on stage to interpret “the space as he felt necessary.”

I’m not sure if I experienced Forgetting Remembering the way it was intended to be experienced, however, in reviewing my notes and research, I’m not sure there is any correct way to do so. It really is a free-form, philosophical, revue with movement set to sound and music.

Details:

Forgetting Remembering plays at the Factory Theatre Studio (125 Bathurst St.)

Remaining Show Times:

• Friday August 14th 4:30pm
• Saturday August 15th 10:00pm

Individual SummerWorks tickets are $15 at the door (cash only). Live Art Series tickets are free – $20. Tickets are available online at summerworks.ca, by phone at 888-328-8384, Monday – Friday 8:30am-5pm, in person at the SummerWorks Info Booth – located at SummerWorks Central Box Office – located at Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St). Open August 4-16 from 10am-7pm (Advance tickets are $15 + service fee)

Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 3 shows

Photo provided by company.