Kate Denborough has been to Tasmania before when she toured with Tas Dance and she has also visited as a tourist and has fond memories of climbing Cradle Mountain. Kate has already purchased a ferry ticket for herself and her daughter and is eagerly awaiting this visit when she will be bringing her play to Tasmania.
Kate Denborough is the director of Sundowner, a confronting and powerful play about the lesser known type of dementia called ‘sundowner,’ or early onset dementia. It is called sundowner because the fluctuations of light experienced at sundown seem to create an even more adverse affect on a person with the condition. The lack of sensory stimulation after dark and the lack of familiar sensations experienced with a certain time period can distress and confuse a person with early onset dementia.
We learn that people with the condition who begin to lose the normal faculties of language communication tend to compensate by developing other communication techniques such as enhanced body language expertly displayed by Helen Morse in the play.
The frustrating thing with sundowner is that it is completely random and rare in that it affects an age group not normally associated with dementia.
The play emphasises even admist the frustration and sadness there is joy and moments of clarity. Living with sundowners involves managing it by involving more abstract thinking such as the woman who was worried about her husbands wanderings out of the house, but remembering his excellent manners, positioned signs near doorways that indicated a ladies lavatory was behind the door and so prevented him in moments of confusion wandering away.
The presence of a child in the play symbolises being emotionally present and that a child’s innocence prevents them from judging or treating people , including people with sundowner any differently because of their condition. An interesting note is that the role of the child in each performance of the play is enacted by a child in the local community to encourage exchange between the artists and the community.
Directing the play has made Kate too, more accepting of people with differences.
You can see this important production of Sundowner at the Theatre Royal on the following dates:
Wednesday, 19th June 2013 – 8:00pm
Thursday, 20th June 2013 – 8:00pm
Friday, 21st June 2013 – 8:00pm
Saturday, 22nd June 2013 – 8:00pm
Paula Xiberras
