Acclaimed theatremaker David Head’s Edinburgh Fringe hit Distant Memories of the Near Future makes its London premiere at the Arcola Theatre this November for a three week run from 12 – 30 November.
Weaving together a series of five interlocking love stories set in a dystopian but plausible near future, Distant Memories is a disquieting yet beautiful and quick-witted exploration of humanity’s relationship with technology and the commodification of our emotions.
With writer and performer David Head’s trademark lyrical storytelling, the show blends an effortless gentleness and a big dollop of humour to ask us how we – in all our messy complexities – will hold up in a future categorised by capitalist excess? Directed by Laura Killeen (Godot is a Woman, JEEZUS! A New Musical) and produced by Amelia Campbell for Sprig Rose Productions, Distant Memories is a witty, self-aware multimedia performance which briefly sees an AI performer join David onstage, as he examines the inner workings of hearts, minds and technology with a droll glint in his eye.
Across five overlapping narratives from space miners to tech moguls, Distant Memories fuses tender storytelling with biting satire to create a striking piece of multimedia theatre that posits as much faith in humanity as it does fear of the future.
Distant Memories of the Near Future is the first solo show from David Head – best known for his collaborations with musician Matt Glover – and comes to London following a critically-acclaimed run at Summerhall at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the play also being published by Bloomsbury.
