THE ONES WE LEAVE BEHIND - VAN FRINGE 2018

Although a contemporary story, these themes are timeless. The play is about Abbey whose absent father haunts her and she can’t trust herself until she gets some answers. And while she searches for answers in her own life, she also searches for answers in the life of an old woman who died and no one seemed to notice she was gone.

One of my favourite lines in the play was delivered by Abbey’s mother who said, ‘Why so important?’ And that is the crux of it. Why is it so important for some people to have answers and for others to walk away and never want to revisit the past.

The Ones We Leave Behind is a touching exploration of family, connection, love and loss. The five actors who read the play did an outstanding job bringing the audience along for the ride with no help from set or props.

The play will premiere on October 24th at the Cultch, so if you missed the reading this time, you can see a full performance with four of the same five actors then.

~ reviewed by Melody Owen