Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) and Théâtre Populaire d'Acadie present the Toronto premiere of LESSON IN FORGETTING (Exercice de l’oubli). Written by Emma Haché (finalist for the 2017 Governor General's Award in theatre) and directed by TfT's own Joël Beddows, this poignant love story sensitively unveils the tensions that arise in a relationship in which feelings collide when memory is lost. Starring Bruno Verdoni and Claire Normand, Lesson in Forgetting will be presented in French with English surtitles, February 5 to 9, 2020, at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

SYNOPSIS: She visits him at the hospital every day to share touching moments, a man who can no longer remember anything. Their conversations, often comical, gradually lift the veil on the reproaches of the past and an intense love, the last vestiges of a memory shattered by a serious accident. But in a room where time seems to have stopped, she begins to doubt her ability to accompany her beloved on his journey back to health. 

Never mind your feelings. When the memories of a shared life disappear, what really remains of love? Can it be rebuilt from scratch or even reinvented? Director Joël Beddows immerses us in a reflection on the mourning we experience on the loss not of a spouse but of a past and its intimacies.

Directed by Joël Beddows. With Claire Normand and Bruno Verdoni. Movement Design: Marie-Josée Chartier | Scenography and properties : Luc Rondeau | Costumes: Melanie McNeill | Lighting: Michael Brunet | Sound: Jean-François Mallet | Production manager: Ghislain Basque.

TfT thanks its partners: VIA Ca nada (Season Sponsor) and Pierre and Mariel O'Neill- Karch. 

LESSON IN FORGETTING

A Théâtre français de Toronto and Théâtre populaire d'Acadie (Caraquet, NB) coproduction

Text: Emma Haché | Director: Joël Beddows

In French (with English surtitles):  February 5 to 9, 2020

Performances: Wednesday to Friday, 8 p.m. | Matinées, 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday

Berkeley Street Theatre - Upstairs | 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto

Tickets: Regular: $49 | Seniors: $40 | under 30 and Artists: $20 | Pay what you can on Wednesdays and Thursdays | Rush tickets Saturday: $20 at the door | Group rate for 8 or more: $25 per ticket

Box Office: 416.534.6604 or theatrefrancais.com.

Photo: Claire Normand and Bruno Verdoni. © 2019 Noemie R. Lavoie.