| Lost Lear | |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Written by | Dan Colley |
| Characters | Joy / King Leir Conor / Cordelia Liam / The Fool |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Present day. An assisted care center. |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 2022 |
| Place | Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Ireland. |
Lost Lear is a dramatic stage play written by Irish playwright Dan Colley.
The play tells the story of a middle-aged woman named Joy, a former actress who is now suffering from early onset dementia and living in an assisted care facility. While most of her memory has faded away, one thing in her mind still remains clear, her memory of performing in William Shakespeare's King Lear.
Joy, a middle aged woman and former actress, is living in an assisted care facility and suffering from early onset dementia. Her memory fades in and out, but one thing she remembers clearly is performing the role of Leir in William Shakespeare's King Lear. Her primary caregiver at the facility, Liam, becomes The Fool in her mind. He is treating her using the SPECAL method for dementia patients, where the patient is asked to focus on one fulfilling memory to hold on to. When her son Conor comes to visit her, she does not remember him, and instead envisions him as Cordelia, from the play inside her mind.
| Character | Original cast | Irish tour cast | North America tour cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 | 2025 | |
| Joy | Venetia Bowe | ||
| Conor | Peter Daly | ||
| Liam | Manus Halligan | ||
| Ensemble | Clodagh O’Farrell | ||
| Ensemble | Em Ormonde | ||
Colley's grandmother Mary Colley suffered from dementia and he spent his youth visiting her at her assisted care facility. Colley did a large amount of research and interviews with those living with the disease and caregivers and doctors who treat the disease.
The play was first workshopped and performed at the Riverbank Arts Centre, where Colley was a resident artist. The play was then performed at the 2022 Dublin Theatre Festival. The show was then produced at the Mermaid Arts Centre. The play was developed in support by the Irish Arts Council, the Abbey Theatre, and the Fishamble New Play Company. Beginning in 2023, the play was toured at several theatres throughout Ireland. In 2024, the show was performed as part of the 2024 New Zealand Festival of the Arts.[citation needed]
The North American premiere took place February 13, 2025 at Villanova University, as a part of their Center for Irish Studies program. In the summer of 2025, the play had its U.K. premiere at the 2025 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
In the fall of 2025, the play returned to the United States and toured at several colleges with writer Dan Colley in attendance, including Connecticut College, Fairfield University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 2026, the play was performed at Open The Door International Festival in Poland.
In January 2027, the play will be performed at the College of Charleston.. In April 2027, it is scheduled to be performed at Broadstage in Santa Monica, California.
In August 2025, the play script was published by Methuen Publishing.
The play won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award in 2025.