One person play raising awareness about dementia to be performed in Hucknall in May

A one person play written and acted by an acclaimed local performer is visiting Hucknall for one night only next month.

'Chalk' by Simon Carter will be performed at Central Methodist Church on Baker Street on Saturday 28 May from 7:30pm.

The play is a comedy-drama aimed at raising awareness of dementia by looking at the illness from the perspective of somebody who has the condition.

Mr Carter originally wrote it in memory of two of his relatives, his Nan and Uncle Alan, who both suffered from different forms of dementia in their later years and sadly passed away.

The play focuses on Richard, a man diagnosed with dementia who tries to preserve the memories he still has by reliving his childhood.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, Mr Carter said: "I wanted to write something which was from the person with dementia's perspective. I remember there being occasions when I would see my uncle and my Nan going through this really horrendous experience with this illness, and they would hear pieces of music, or they would hear familiar voices, or familiar sounds, and it would be like something inside them would light up, and they would suddenly be transported back to places where there was clarity; where they could really pick up on things they'd long since forgotten about. The idea that music and familiar noises, sounds, and sometimes smells can unlock a person and give them a bit of relief. And I thought I wonder what's going on behind the eyes if you like.

"I thought if I was having to fight with this terrible illness and I wanted to try to preserve memory for as long as possible, how might I do it?

"A lot of my fondest memories are oddly primary school, secondary school. And I thought well I'll just go back there.

"So this is a show about a guy that lives in his head as a schoolboy, decides that he's going to live in his imagination as a boy of 10 because those are clearest memories that he has, the most precious memories that he has and he's going to use it as a way of combatting his illness.

"The process is really, how do I create a universe on stage where we can tell that story in that way? That's how it was and as a creative process. I built the show around meaningful songs that assisted the story telling and helped to unlock some of that childhood stuff. It's all based vaguely around my own memories."

The play comes to Hucknall on Saturday 28 May. Image courtesy of Simon Carter.

As Simon grew up in the 1970s the play is packed with relevant cultural references from the era. This is something that often strikes a chord with a number of audience members and helps them to unlock memories of their own and prompts them to share them with him at the end of the show. This has pleasantly surprised Mr Carter and was something he admits he massively underestimated when he wrote the play.

To ensure that his portrayal of the illness was as accurate as possible, Simon did a lot of research into the illness as well as using his own personal experience. After some performances carers and experts in dementia have commended his efforts and the realism of his portrayal, which he is immensely proud of.

"To get that sort of affirmation from people that actually know the proper specifics of the condition, to hear that from them is encouraging.

"It's important to tell an honest story because there's still quite a lot of taboo around the subject and there's still quite a lot of people that don't want to be particularly open about its effects and what it means.

"There are some scenes which are really funny because it's all about trying to find joy in a really difficult situation and it's all about memories being these cherished, glorious things. But on the other hand, it's quite brutal because it's dealing with a guy who can't get better because at the moment this doesn't have a cure, and you see this guy deteriorate over time and the illness is a very real thing, it's a constant presence throughout the show and that's how it is."

For the Hucknall performance, there won't be a charge to see the show but there will be an opportunity to donate to The Alzheimer's Society, with a minimum suggested donation of £5 per person.

Mr Carter adds: "It's free to watch it but we're really hopeful people will choose to donate. We get to share this, and people get to see something that hopefully challenges them and makes them look at dementia in a different way."