Before I Forget play captures brilliance alongside structural stumbles
Three generations of First Nations women navigate dementia and family resentment in Kamarra Bell-Wykes's new work.
Before I Forget opens at Arts Centre Melbourne's Fairfax Studio. The play starts with a lecture from Faith Well, a respected Badtjala/Butchella language expert, played by Roxanne McDonald.
The play quickly shifts to now. Faith's daughter Karma (Melodie Reynolds-Diarra) and granddaughter Hope (Tyallah Bullock) navigate family tension on ancestral land.
Faith's memory is failing. All three actors bring wit and energy when they share the stage.
Playwright and director Kamarra Bell-Wykes relies too heavily on long explanations. There are too many teaching moments, especially in the middle.
The work shines when showing how dementia brings people together. It stumbles in controlling tone and emotional clarity.
McDonald gives a bold performance that moves between coldness and wisdom. Bullock brings lightness to Hope's search for her heritage.
Reynolds-Diarra grounds the play with exhaustion and care.
- Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
- Venue
- Kamarra Bell-Wykes
- Playwright and director
- Badtjala/Butchella
- Language group
- Near Noosa
- Ancestral location
Why it mattersStrong performances give weight to an important story about Indigenous language preservation and family trauma across generations.
AustraliaFor Melbourne theatre-goers, a rare mainstream stage examination of dementia through a First Nations cultural lens.
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