Welcome to the New Now, a time in which written language has been forbidden and forgotten. Those who desire to have their love letters written and read must make a dangerous journey to the secret and illegal camp of She, the Keeper of the Lost Hand. Aided by the mysterious showman Me, She recounts how her past led her to be one of the last people able to read and write in cursive. The tandem tale of Zako Budaydos and His Dancing Bear illuminates the time of the Before, when the carnival performer had to rely on wit, love, and a secret coded language in order to survive.

Internationally renowned playwright and puppeteer Ronnie Burkett has once again created a fascinating and provocative world as a love letter for increasingly uncivilized times.

Ronnie Burkett has been captivated by puppetry since the age of seven and began touring his shows around Alberta at the age of fourteen. Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes was formed in 1986, continuously playing on Canada’s major stages and as a guest company on numerous tours abroad. Ronnie has received the 2009 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, the Herbert Whittaker Drama Bench Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian Theatre, a Village Voice OBIE Award, and four Citations of Excellence from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette. In 2019, Ronnie Burkett was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Forget Me Not is the fourteenth production from Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes, following the international successes Penny Plain, Billy Twinkle, 10 Days on Earth, Provenance, and the Memory Dress Trilogy of Tinka’s New Dress, Street of Blood, and Happy. The Daisy Theatre, Ronnie’s wildly popular and ever-changing marionette vaudeville show, and the Daisy Christmas show, Little Dickens, continue touring to great acclaim. Ronnie lives in Toronto, and from his studio (known in puppetry circles as Puppetland) he continues to imagine and create new work.

Ronnie Burkett's profile page

• Nominated, Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play

"The marriage of his passion, with the stories, with the themes, and with the audience encased in a performance event, is a joy to be part of."

broadwayworld.com

“Burkett is a master puppeteer, his creations appear to have lives of their own, to breathe and feel, but he also is a master at pulling the strings of his audience.”

Drew Rowsome, My Gay Toronto

"Forget Me Not stands out most as an act of unconditional generosity."

The Georgia Straight

“Forget Me Not is lively and raucous and tender and also a deeply longing work—longing for connection, for communication, for love, for safety, for ritual, for comfort.”

S. Bear Bergman, Mooney on Theatre

“Forget Me Not is funny, dark in nature, thoughtful, brooding and full of Burkett’s conscience and heart.”

Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter

"Forget Me Not is a meditation on love, loss, connectivity and a heartfelt reminder of the power and symbolism of the written word, especially words of love."

Limelight Magazine, Australia

"It will likely move you in unexpected ways. The puppets are alive. The heartbreak, when it comes, is real."

The Vancouver Sun