2009 ongoing
Text By Maria Jastrzebska
Incidental music by Peter Copley
Directed by Mark C. Hewitt
Dementia Diaries is a live literature / theatre piece for five voices by poet Maria Jastrzebska. The drama consists of an interwoven sequence of monologues revealing the tangled and fraught relationships within a typically dysfunctional Anglo-Polish family where both parents are suffering the onset of dementia. With a cast of Polish and British actors, the story combines tenderness, despair, moments of surreal humour and occasional strong language.
Developed through Lewes Live Lit, Dementia Diaries was first performed over a run of four nights during April 2009 at Little Polka Café, Eastbourne, as part of Eastbourne Festival, with incidental music played live by composer Peter Copley (cello) and Anne Hodgson (flute).
Poster art by Andrzej Klimowski © 2009
About the writer
Maria Jastrzebska was born in Warsaw, grew up in London and now lives in Brighton. Poet, editor, translator and creative writing tutor, her recent collections include Syrena (Redbeck Press, 2004) and I’ll Be Back Before You Know It (Pighog Press, 2008) Her work has appeared in many anthologies and literary magazines and she was a contributor to 'Telling Tales About Dementia' (edited by Lucy Whitman, published by Jessica Kingsley, 2009). Her work has been published in translation in France, Finland, Romania and Slovenia.
(L to R) Maria Jastrzebska / DD music score / Peter Copley & Anne Hodgson, Eastbourne 26/4/09