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Mnemonic

conceived by Simon McBurney
a co-production with Complicité

Artwork with two superimposed images, one of a very blurred human face over which is a translucent image of a leaf. On top of these is a meandering line in blue, red and blue again, that could be a river, or capilliaries.

Booking and details

22 June — 10 August 2024
This show has now ended
The event location is

Olivier Theatre

National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX

mnemonic / ni’monik / adj. 1. assisting or intended to assist memory; 2. of memory

A body is found in the ice, and a woman is looking for her father while a man searches for his lost lover.

This story is as much about origins as it is about memory, and remembering what is lost. Mnemonic asks: what is our place in the natural world? How have human relationships with the environment shaped patterns of migration? Who are we, and where do we come from?

25 years after its first staging, Complicité’s ‘Astonishing, transfixing, transcendent’ (New York Times) production returns to the National Theatre. Simon McBurney (Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead) directs.

★★★★★
‘I shall remember Mnemonic all my life’
Lyn Gardner

‘Like coming close to the
meaning of existence’
★★★★★
Time Out

‘Utterly absorbing’
★★★★★
The Stage

‘Still a masterpiece’
★★★★★
The Times 

‘This landmark show is more
relevant than ever’
★★★★★
Financial Times 

‘Lingers in the mind long after
its conclusion’
★★★★
Daily Telegraph 

‘A richly layered and humane show’
★★★★
Evening Standard 

‘The iceman stunneth’
★★★★
WhatsOnStage

7 Reviews

Originally co-produced by the Salzburg Festival

This production is supported by the Mirisch and Lebenheim Charitable Foundation.

 

Suitability

For ages 14+

Please note: This production contains strong language, haze, long and frequent periods of darkness, flashing lights, intensely bright lights, loud music / sounds, prolonged periods of nudity / nakedness. This production also features depictions of violence and death, and images of human remains.

What are people saying

A woman stands to the left of two men, the one in the middle weas a cap and glasses, the man on the right wears a black suit jacket and a blue shirt
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Audience reactions

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A man in casual attire is depicted in three different poses within a studio setting with a white brick wall and wooden floor. One figure is sitting on a bench, looking forward. Another is leaning forward as if walking, and the third is casually seated on the bench.
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‘A memory of a memory’

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Teaser trailer

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Gallery

A man in a green t-shirt holds a mobile phone in his left hand. He is surrounded by four people in white lab coats who hold various pieces of wood around him to imitate a bow and arrow.
A man in a green t-shirt holds a mobile phone in his left hand. He is surrounded by four people in white lab coats who hold various pieces of wood around him to imitate a bow and arrow.
A man in a green t-shirt holds a mobile phone in his left hand. He is surrounded by four people in white lab coats who hold various pieces of wood around him to imitate a bow and arrow.
View 10 images
Six silhouetted figures bow low on a dark stage with chairs in front of a transparent blue-lit curtain. The shadow of a person holding a long walking stick is visible through the curtain. To the left, a man sat on a bed, holding a phone to his ear. A woman's face is projected onto his chest. To the right, a woman stands facing to the side, on the phone and gesturing with her left hand. In the middle, three people stand in shadow, looking at something on a table. Four performers puppet a wooden chair frame that has been rebuilt to resemble a person. One of the performers holds up a hat for the head and another holds a long walking stick. A naked man lies on a table under a dim spotlight, surrounded by five blurry, silhouette-like figures in motion. The background is dark and indistinct, with a bed on the left and a piece of equipment on the right. Blurred image of two people walking in a dimly lit, foggy environment. One person is more in focus, lit with orange light, while another is more shadowy and less distinguishable. A bathroom mirror with a rectangular light hangs in the background. A man in a suit jacket mimics holding the wheel of a car while pointing backwards with his right hand. A woman in a sleeveless orange top and green pants sitting barefoot behind him as a passenger in the car. Rain is projected onto a screen behind them. A woman and a man sit on either side wooden bed. The woman is looking to the right with a concerned expression. The man is looking to the left with a stern expression. A man sits on a bed on the left, illuminated by a spotlight. Five people stand mid-stage with downcast expressions. All of them are looking sadly at a wooden frame that resembles a person lying on their side on the ground. On the right, a woman stands in front of a mirror and sink with a phone against her ear. Five actors hold the same dramatic walking pose on a high-contrast stage with a bright horizontal light panel in the background. Multiple large rocks are strewn about the stage, and at the centre a wooden frame similar to a human body is laying on the ground.

Production images

Two actors sat at the end of a bed, facing in opposite directions. The woman has brown hair and an upset expression. The man has short curly hair and is holding a phone to his right ear.
Two actors sat at the end of a bed, facing in opposite directions. The woman has brown hair and an upset expression. The man has short curly hair and is holding a phone to his right ear.
Two actors sat at the end of a bed, facing in opposite directions. The woman has brown hair and an upset expression. The man has short curly hair and is holding a phone to his right ear.
View 12 images
Four actors in rehearsals, all wearing casual clothes. They all have concerned expressions and are looking to each other. An actor in rehearsal, leaning on his elbow and resting a script on his knee. He has short black hair and is wearing a black t-shirt. Two men in casual clothes sat in a rehearsal room, holding scripts and pencils. They are both looking ahead at something. An actor in rehearsals, sat down and holding a script. He has short brown hair and is wearing a pink t-shirt. He is listening to someone in a red and black jacket whose arm is out of focus in the left of the image. A woman with long brown hair wearing a black t-shirt and holding an orange purse. She is looking at another woman who is out of focus in the foreground, who has short brown hair and is wearing a blue tank top. A man with glasses and a grey beard, wearing a graphic tee and faded baseball cap. He is framed by the gap in the back of a chair, and holding a pencil in his right hand. Twelve actors in a rehearsal room sat on chairs in a circle around their director. The director has his arms outstretched in demonstration. Behind them, eight people are sat at tables at the side of the room, with notes and laptops in front of them. 17 people in rehearsals, sat on chairs and a bed. They are all on a call with a man who is displayed on a large screen that has been put in front of them. Six actors in a rehearsal room moving around the space to practice a scene. A woman in the centre is sat down and holding a white teacup and saucer. An actor in rehearsals, holding a phone to his right ear and looking off to the side with a serious expression. He has short black hair and is wearing a black t-shirt. A man with brown hair wearing a navy gym shirt and grey shorts, raising his arms above his head to clap with a big smile. Behind him, a woman in a blue top is sat at a table making notes.

Rehearsal images

Cast includes

Khalid Abdalla
Khalid Abdalla photo portrait

Khalid Abdalla

Hisham Abdel Razek
Hisham Abdel Razek photo portrait

Hisham Abdel Razek

Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold photo portrait

Thomas Arnold

Richard Katz
Richard Katz photo portrait

Richard Katz

Laurenz Laufenberg
Laurenz Laufenberg photo portrait

Laurenz Laufenberg

Tim McMullan
Tim McMullan photo portrait

Tim McMullan

Kostas Philippoglou

Kostas Philippoglou

Sarah Slimani
Sarah Slimani photo portrait

Sarah Slimani

Sophie Steer
Sophie Steer photo portrait

Sophie Steer

Eileen Walsh

Eileen Walsh

Arthur Wilson
Arthur Wilson photo portrait

Arthur Wilson

Production team

Director

Simon McBurney

Simon McBurney

Set Designer

Michael Levine

Michael Levine

Costume Designer

Christina Cunningham

Christina Cunningham

Lighting Designer

Paul Anderson

Paul Anderson

Sound Designer

Christopher Shutt

Christopher Shutt

Video Designer

Roland Horvath for rocafilm

Roland Horvath for rocafilm

Casting Director

Alastair Coomer CDG

Alastair Coomer CDG

Vocal Arranger and Singing Coach

Osnat Schmool

Osnat Schmool

Intimacy Coordinator

Elle McAlpine for EK Intimacy

Elle McAlpine for EK Intimacy

Dramatherapist

Samantha Adams

Samantha Adams

Company Voice Work

Cathleen McCarron

Cathleen McCarron

Dialect Coach

Rebecca Clark Carey

Rebecca Clark Carey

Associate Director

Christina Deinsberger

Christina Deinsberger

Associate Set Designer

Peter Butler

Peter Butler

Associate Video Designer

Hayley Egan

Hayley Egan

Originally devised by the company

What’s on guide

What's on guide

Download a pdf of the latest guide (2MB)

Download a large print pdf version of the latest guide (4MB), with most images removed.

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Mnemonic (2024) Composite images from Avinash Kumar and Plainpicture / Millennium / Alicja Brodowicz.