The Memory of Water

The Memory of Water is a comedy by Shelagh Stephenson (1955-)[1].

Not to be confused with two unrelated Spanish films called La memoria del agua (1994[2] and 2015[3]).

The original text

A play about three sisters and their partners who gather at the home of their recently dead mother and revisit the past in poignant and often hilarious ways.

The play was first published January 1, 1996, and was first staged at Hampstead Theatre in 1996. It went on to win the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

Translations and adaptations

The author adapted the play for the 2002 film, Before You Go, directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring, Julie Walters, John Hannah, and Joanne Whalley.[4]

Performance history in South Africa

2003: Performed by KickstArt Theatre Company in December, produced, designed and co-directed by Greg King and Peter Court, with Peter Court, The production won Best Play at the Durban Theatre Awards.

2004: The KickstArt Theatre Company's production also played at the Hexagon Theatre in Pietermaritzburg (4-7 February), before going on to run at the Baxter Theatre (Cape Town) and to the The Theatre Downstairs at the University of the Witwatersrand.