Memmie Le Blanc

Based on a true story. Memmie Le Blanc, written by Hilary Bell, is a fascinating play that will have you wondering about the wildness that lives in us all. In 1731, in the woods of France, a young girl is captured. Naked, armed with a club, an eater of raw flesh, she speaks no human language. In absence of any other name, she is baptised Memmie Le Blanc a blank page on which others may write. Catherine, a widow, wants to save the child from her own dark past in order that she might have a normal future. While Memmie is desperate for security, her wildness is a primal part of her that cannot be completely eradicated. The arrival of George, scientist, writer and philosopher and his companion, Robert, a highly trained orangutang throws Catherine’s attempt to “civilise” Memmie into chaos. George wants Memmie for her own research, Memmie must struggle between the pull of her bestial and her human natures. Ultimately Memmie performs an act of love, which confirms in Catherine’s mind that she is beyond reclamation, and proves to George that she’s become too human to be useful any longer. Only one character thrives: Robert the orangutan. He discovers he does have a voice, and he’s going to use it to what end, now that he’s been experimented on beyond recognition – we can only imagine. The most exciting play in the 2006 Australian National Playwrights conference Memmie Le Blanc is a very physical and dynamic production complete with “jungle jazz” and will be talked about for years to come. See this wonderful co-production with Vitalstatistix (SA) in Fremantle before it tours to the Adelaide Fringe 2008.