MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN

by D.W. Gregory

In 1930s Soviet Union, a naive journalist with the gift of total recall finds himself an unwitting enemy of the state when he cannot shake the memory of events the regime has erased from the history books. Inspired by a true story.

Long before ‘fake news’ was an Internet meme, it was called propaganda. And in the Soviet Union, circa 1938, it was the grease that kept Stalin’s machinery of terror in motion. By...

In 1930s Soviet Union, a naive journalist with the gift of total recall finds himself an unwitting enemy of the state when he cannot shake the memory of events the regime has erased from the history books. Inspired by a true story.

Long before ‘fake news’ was an Internet meme, it was called propaganda. And in the Soviet Union, circa 1938, it was the grease that kept Stalin’s machinery of terror in motion. By taking us to this world, Memoirs of a Forgotten Man examines the high personal price ordinary people pay to endure a regime in which facts are fungible and history is whatever Dear Leader says it is.

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MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN

Recommended by

  • Thalia’s Umbrella: MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN by D.W. Gregory
    “

    Lovely, lovely play. The ground keeps shifting under the characters, and therefore for the audience as well. Moments of delight, terror, and loss, and—late in the play—a moment of grace so profound I still tear up remembering it. Great roles. A privilege to work on.

    Lovely, lovely play. The ground keeps shifting under the characters, and therefore for the audience as well. Moments of delight, terror, and loss, and—late in the play—a moment of grace so profound I still tear up remembering it. Great roles. A privilege to work on.

    ”
  • Anna Tatelman: MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN by D.W. Gregory
    “

    I saw this at Thalia's Umbrella in February 2024 in Seattle. This is a brilliantly constructed play. The way it layers both the tensions and the mergings between the past and present, the personal and the political, is so richly and carefully done, yet in such a way that you won't realize on a first watch/read. Although some of the particulars of the Soviet Union may feel alien, the fear, paranoia, and constant-tip-toeing around a government caught between lies and all-consuming control is far too familiar.

    I saw this at Thalia's Umbrella in February 2024 in Seattle. This is a brilliantly constructed play. The way it layers both the tensions and the mergings between the past and present, the personal and the political, is so richly and carefully done, yet in such a way that you won't realize on a first watch/read. Although some of the particulars of the Soviet Union may feel alien, the fear, paranoia, and constant-tip-toeing around a government caught between lies and all-consuming control is far too familiar.

    ”
  • Bill Triplett: MEMOIRS OF A FORGOTTEN MAN by D.W. Gregory
    “

    Despite being steeped in Soviet-era realpolitik--with all its paranoia, suspicion, and fear--and even amid so many shrewd observations on the utilitarian uses/purposes of memory, this mesmerizing story at its heart pulses with the very human cost of history based not on truth but on the needs of who writes it. Or maybe more accurately: who rewrites it. A moving tale about the soul-crushing power of systemic lies, and what people do to survive that.

    Despite being steeped in Soviet-era realpolitik--with all its paranoia, suspicion, and fear--and even amid so many shrewd observations on the utilitarian uses/purposes of memory, this mesmerizing story at its heart pulses with the very human cost of history based not on truth but on the needs of who writes it. Or maybe more accurately: who rewrites it. A moving tale about the soul-crushing power of systemic lies, and what people do to survive that.

    ”
View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

Actor 1: Alexei/the Amazing Azarov
Actor 2: Kreplev/Vasily
Actor 3: Natalya/Madame Demidova
Actor 4: Peasant Woman/Miss Markayevna/Mother/Utkin.


The play works best with a cast of four actors, doubled as depicted here. Depending on the needs of the producing organization, however, a somewhat larger cast could be used and a different doubling scheme employed. For example, Vasily and Demidova could be cast separately, with the actress who plays Demidova doubling as Miss Markayevna and peasant woman and the actress who plays Mother doubling as Utkin. The character of Utkin also could be presented as female -- in which case, she would be referred to as 'Utkina' and references would be changed accordingly.
  • KREPLEV
    A government investigator.
    Mid-50s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • NATALYA BEREZINA
    A psychologist
    40s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • ALEXEI S.
    A man with an incredible memory.
    30s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • VASILY
    Alexei's older brother.
    30s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • SONIA MIKHAILOVNA (Mother)
    Mother to Alexei and Vasily
    60s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • MADAME DEMIDOVA
    A displaced aristocrat, down on her luck.
    60s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
  • AZAROV
    A carnival act.
    50s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • MISS MARKAYEVNA
    50s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • UTKIN
    Alexei's editor. May be played by the same actress who plays Mother and Teacher or the actor who plays Vasily. Adjust the references in the script accordingly.
    Undetermined
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
  • PEASANT WOMAN
    A fan of Azarov's.
    Undetermined
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Man

Development History

  • Workshop, HBMG Foundation , 2018
  • Reading, New Jersey Rep, 2018
  • Reading, Writers' Theatre of New Jersey, 2018
  • Reading, Washington Stage Guild - Kennedy Center Page to Stage, 2017
  • Reading, Reading Theatre Project, 2017

Production History

  • Community Theater, Limelight Theatre, 2024
  • Professional, Thalia's Umbrella, Seattle, 2024
  • Professional, Washington Stage Guild, 2022
  • University, Florida School of the Arts, 2021
  • Professional, New Jersey Repertory Company, August, 2019
  • Professional, Shadowland Stages, June , 2019
  • Professional, Contemporary American Theatre Festival July 2018, 2018

Awards

  • Helen Hayes Recommended
    Helen Hayes Organization
    Selection
    2022
  • Rolling World Premiere
    National New Play Network
    Selection
    2018
  • HBMG Foundation Winter Playwrights Workshop
    HBMG Foundation
    Winner
    2018
  • Fellow
    Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Conference
    Semi-Finalist
    2016