Inside Lost Lear: Reflections on Storytelling, Memory, and Hope
I think people will talk about how Lost Lear transforms something as difficult as dementia into something unexpectedly hopeful.
-Amy Kolling
Carolina Performing Arts will present Lost Lear by Dan Colley on November 19 and 20—a moving and darkly comic remix of Shakespeare’s King Lear, told through the perspective of Joy, a woman living with dementia who finds herself inside an old memory of rehearsing the play. Blending puppetry, projection, and live video, Lost Lear immerses audiences in Joy’s shifting world, where memory, imagination, and reality overlap in poignant and surprising ways.
Before the production arrives in Chapel Hill, Amy Kolling, Senior Director of Artistic and Production at Carolina Performing Arts, had the opportunity to see Lost Lear at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We sat down with her to hear her reflections on the performance—what stood out, what surprised her, and why she believes it’s such a powerful fit for Carolina Performing Arts’ season.
Q&A with Amy Kolling
Was there a particular moment or performance that really stood out to you?
It’s really fascinating—not just because of the story, but because of how the piece is built. From the moment you walk in, there’s this stunning projection of the main actress’s face as she puts on her makeup to become Joy. You’re not sure if it’s live or recorded, but it’s so intimate—it feels like she’s looking right at you.
Throughout the show, you see the projections being created live onstage, and that sense of process—of watching art being made—continues with the puppetry and video work. There are so many ways to experience the story beyond just the text or the acting. It’s such a rich, layered approach that gives audiences many ways to connect from a very personal place, whether or not they have a theater background.
What surprised you most about the experience of watching Lost Lear?
I knew it would be visually and technically exciting, but what surprised me most was the character of Joy’s son. He’s the newest visitor to the imaginative world Joy has built around her—a world shaped by her artistry and her dementia.
Her caretakers have learned and decided to play along in her daily “play”, but her son doesn’t know how to enter it. That tension becomes really moving. Later, we find out more about their story before she entered care, and the piece becomes this layered metaphor about reconnection—about trying to find each other again through both memory and imagination.
Why do you think this show is a good fit for our season?
It’s such a natural fit for Carolina Performing Arts. For one, it’s extraordinary international work that we discovered at a major festival—exactly the kind of cross-cultural exchange we love to bring to our audiences. But beyond that, this season we’ve been thinking a lot about well-being and how our work contributes to community care.
Lost Lear does that beautifully. It offers multiple entry points—emotional, visual, intellectual—and invites people to respond from an authentic, personal place. So often, traditional performance settings can make audiences feel like they need expertise to engage, but this piece does the opposite. It welcomes everyone in.
Without giving too much away, what do you think audiences will be talking about after the show ends?
I think people will talk about how Lost Lear transforms something as difficult as dementia into something unexpectedly hopeful. It reframes caretaking and long illness in a really uplifting way. The caretakers in the play choose to honor Joy’s imagination—they meet her where she is, in her world of creativity.
That’s such a powerful act of love. It reminds us that even in the hardest circumstances, there’s room for art, play, and connection. I think audiences will leave feeling moved—but also inspired to see those experiences in a new light.
If you had to describe Lost Lear in just five words, what would they be?
Well-crafted. Moving. Creative. Layered. Surprising.
Lost Lear by Dan Colley is supported by Culture Ireland and produced by Riverbank Arts Centre and Mermaid Arts Centre. Described as “brilliantly conceived and executed” (The Examiner) and “a theatrical tour de force” (The Arts Review), it has earned multiple nominations at the Irish Times Theatre Awards, including Best New Play and Audience Choice.
Join us for this unforgettable performance on November 19 and 20 at 7:30 PM. To learn more about Lost Lear, click here.
Join the Conversation Before the Show
On November 17, Carolina Performing Arts and the Carolina Aging Network will host a free, 60-minute conversation about Lost Lear. Hear from writer/director Dan Colley about creating the show, explore how the cast approached portraying memory and identity, and engage in a thoughtful Q&A on art, dementia, and community care. Register here.
