After captivating audiences worldwide, Theatre Re’s acclaimed production The Nature of Forgetting returns to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. Conceived and directed by Guillaume Pigé, with original music by Alex Judd, the show explores memory, identity, and the fragility of time through a powerful blend of movement, music, and visual storytelling.
“We’ve been going since 2011,” recalls Pigé. “Alex, Catherine and I came together to make a show called The Gambler, which went to the Fringe in 2012. We’ve never left each other since.” It was in 2017, with The Nature of Forgetting, that the company found its distinctive voice. “It was the first time our style, combining original live music with action and visuals, really came into its own.”
Judd agrees. “It’s where we came into maturity. The pieces before were about finding our feet, but The Nature of Forgetting added another dimension. It was also the first time Guillaume wasn’t performing from the start, which meant he could direct with an outside eye.”
The show follows Tom, a 55-year-old living with early-onset dementia, as he prepares for his birthday and is swept into a tide of resurfacing memories. Since its debut, the production has toured globally, resonating with audiences from South America to Asia. “We knew we had something special,” says Pigé. “But what’s exciting is realising that what feels special to us also feels special to others.”
Judd adds, “The response has been amazing and quite moving. Wherever we’ve been, people have connected with it in a very personal way.”
Music plays a central role in that connection. “There’s not really a script,” explains Judd. “The music helps guide the emotional journey. We used real-world sounds; wedding bells, a car horn, playground noise, to connect memories. It’s all devised from the beginning, alongside the movement.”
Returning to the Fringe, the company will perform in the Pleasance Grand for the first time. “Usually in Edinburgh, you have to scale down,” says Pigé. “But this time, we can do the show the way it was meant to be. It’s a huge excitement.”
The piece is devised collaboratively, a process Pigé describes as “a collective writing process using space, movement, music, light and form.” Judd adds, “It’s not just creative skills, it’s personal stories too. That’s what makes it resonate.”
With a mostly new cast, the team has focused on ensuring each performer makes the material their own. “They go through the same journey as the original devisers,” says Pigé. “It’s important they make new connections and changes, so it becomes theirs.”
And how would they sell the show to prospective Fringe audiences? Judd laughs: “It’s a very immersive, intense experience. Everyone gets very sweaty, that usually sells tickets!” Pigé adds, “If you have emotions, this is for you. If you can feel stuff, this is for you. If you’re alive, this is for you.”
The Nature of Forgetting runs at the Pleasance Courtyard (Grand), Edinburgh Fringe from 9–23 August 2025 (excluding 13 & 20 August). Tickets are available here.
