Cut the string, tear open the brown paper wrapping…

There is something inexplicably magical about memories. We employ potions, pills, boxes and quills to try and capture them, but the slippery little suckers often still manage to elude us.

As a child, I remember keeping a disciplined and ridiculously detailed diary for every family holiday taken, filled with everything from what theme park rides we went on and how long I spent swimming in the hotel pool, to what I had for dinner (always an important topic). It was so important to me to hold onto those good times in whatever way, shape or form possible. And it worked; I love curling up on the couch on a lazy afternoon with a cup of joe, letting the words gently tug the memories from the dark depths of my mind.

Though the seats of the Dunstan Playhouse aren't quite as comfy as a couch, the latest production to grace the stage is a theatrical time capsule certain to revive your appreciation for the magic of memory. From the creator of the internationally acclaimed productions LaLaLuna and The Shneedles, luminous physical theatre maestro Wolfe Bowart returns with Letter’s End, at the Dunstan Playhouse from 28 – 31 July.

If your mind were a room and your life’s memories lost in a jumble of old boxes, what forgotten treasures might you find? In Letter’s End a genial, clownish man burns lost packages and dead letters in a furnace until a torn parcel lets fall an old brown teddy bear. Kindling a lost memory, he opens other items to which a whole life unfolds.

Inhabiting a world where mops sneeze and storks swoop in bearing gifts and trees grow out of shoes, the man at the centre of it all leads his audience on a journey down a most magical memory lane.

Letter’s End is created and performed by Wolfe Bowart, one of today’s masters of physical theatre, incorporating stage illusion, puppetry, interactive film and physical comedy. Through this amazing mix of performance, Bowart invites audiences aged from 6 to 96 to take a dream like exploration into the realm of the fantastic.

Following his smash season of LaLaLuna in 2006, Wolfe Bowart at last returns to Adelaide with a truly magical performance, fresh from seasons in the U.S., Hong Kong, New Zealand and the U.K. Bowart’s production was recently awarded Best Young People’s Event at this year’s Brighton Arts Festival, the largest arts festival in England.

On his inspiration for Letter’s End, Bowart says,

“I’ve always been interested in memory – how at times it tumbles out like Fibber McGee’s closet and other times seems elusive, stuffed away in an old package in the attic.”

Letter’s End is presented by Spoon Tree Productions, a theatre company devoted to providing world-class physical theatre productions that know no cultural or age barriers. The company, whose works have been seen around the globe, was co-founded by Wolfe Bowart and Kerryn Negus, a producer with over 15 years’ experience in film and theatre.

“True to expectation, Bowart brought to life one of those classic theatre experiences. Tableaux, comedy, simple moments of joy, love and wonder.” The Canberra Times

“You will be mesmerized… he will make you laugh, he will make you sigh, and you will be enchanted by his every move.” – ArtSound FM, Canberra

This unmissable production hits the Adelaide Festival Centre's Dunstan Playhouse from July 28-31. Tickets are available through BASS on 131 246 or online at www.bass.net.au.

For more information log on to www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au or lose hours of your workday playing with the Letter's End website: www.lettersend.com.au

Here's the exciting bit - be the first to email us here at Lowdown with your name, contact phone number and 'Letter's End Comp' in the subject header, and you'll snare yourself a family pass to the opening night of Letter's End on Wednesday, July 28 at 6.30pm. It's that simple!