Written & Directed by John Patterson
Writer's note
During the summer of 2020, shortly after the first lockdown ended, I ran a series of research and development sessions. These workshops gave writers an opportunity to have one of their previously unperformed works explored by a cast of professional actors under my direction. Although I had at that stage in my career never written a play, I had directed over 70 and so felt in a position to offer advice and guidance to the writers on how they might develop their pieces for potential performance. Having spent eight weeks on the project, I decided to write my own play and thus came Forsaking Others!
I have always been fascinated how we, as humans, invest such trust in those we are closest to when we often know little about their background. That which we do know can sometimes only extend to information they have chosen to share… can we ever be sure we know a person’s true colours? Over the years, I have come across several people who compulsively lie and, no matter how tall the tale, manage to convince others (and often themselves) that their fantasy world is a reality. I’ve also seen people hurt as a consequence.
Our fascination with, and sometimes dependence on, living our lives through social media was another topic I wanted to explore. Many of us are so willing to share our lives with millions of strangers… but do we ever stop to consider the potentially dangerous consequences of putting ourselves “out there” so freely?
And so was born the play you are about to watch. It’s been a tough journey… two attempts to mount the production had to be postponed due to Covid and so, eighteen months later than initially planned, we are delighted to finally share Forsaking Others.
John Patterson, June 2022
Synopsis
Laura has it all... She comes from a loving, wealthy family, is well educated, has a good job and owns her own apartment in Wimbledon. She is engaged to Michael, the man of her dreams... or so she thought! Life takes an unexpected turn when she receives a visitor bearing some distressing news.
Forsaking Others provokes us to question the things we might be afraid to ask ourselves. How well do we know those we become closest to? Who can we really trust in life? In an age where we all too often rely on the internet and social media for answers, can they always be found there?
