Shoreham-by-Sea playwright Alex Louise, 34, will be showcasing her new play Slipping Through My Fingers with three performances during Brighton Fringe Festival on 11th, 25th and 27th May, 9pm at The Lantern Theatre in Kemptown.

Alex graduated from Brighton’s Academy of Creative Training in 2016 and began professional acting. She wrote the play in 2024 inspired by her family’s experience of living with dementia. Through her company Beware My Sting Productions, she has recruited a stellar cast to deliver the parts of Maggie, Lou and Amelia in Slipping Through My Fingers and raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

Spanning a lifetime – from childhood tantrums to teenage rebellion, motherhood to final goodbyes – Slipping Through My Fingers is a funny, heartfelt, and deeply moving story about love, loss, and the seemingly impossible task of letting go.

Dementia affects almost one million people in the UK and has a huge impact on families. It’s estimated that some 28,232* people in Sussex alone are living with dementia, whether or not they have an official diagnosis.

Slipping Through My Fingers is showing at The Lantern theatre in Kempton as part of Brighton Fringe.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s Research UK is the charity working to revolutionise the way all dementias are treated, diagnosed and prevented. Ultimately, the charity exists for a cure.

Alex commented: “Once I had decided to put Slipping Through My Fingers on at the Brighton Fringe, I wanted to do more than share my family’s story and raise awareness. I wanted to bring hope for myself and future generations that we could eventually find a cure for this awful disease, which is why I chose to fundraise for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“I hope people who come to see the production feel seen and heard, connect with the story and leave feeling empowered to help with the change that Alzheimer’s Research UK is working towards. My Nana Aileen (who the character of Maggie is loosely inspired by) suffered with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. Watching the person she was slip away from us was heartbreaking and I hope we see a future where this no longer happens to our loved ones.

“Although I witnessed a fair amount of my Nana’s deterioration, I was at University during some of the most difficult times. My Mum, Lesley, was the unsung hero who dealt with it day in and day out, both when my Nana lived with her and once she was in care. My younger sister also had to deal with the brunt of the difficult behaviour from my Nana, such as being accused of theft, and general animosity. This was during her formative years, too; her GCSEs and A levels (she still managed to get excellent grades!)

“As people will come to discover when they see Slipping Through My Fingers, my Nana was not what you would call an easy woman at the best of times, which was absolutely exacerbated by the disease. We had no other family that lived nearby so the care landed solely on my Mum’s shoulders, which I think many carers can relate to. My Mum is quite simply legendary. I love my family immensely and I thank them for allowing me to share our experiences on stage.”

Shelle Luscombe, Regional Fundraising Officer for Kent & Sussex at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We’re so grateful to Alex for supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK. If nothing changes, one in two of us will be directly affected by dementia – either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. Fantastic fundraising and awareness raising efforts like this will help us get closer to a cure for people with dementia and their loved ones. We wish Alex and the whole cast and production team the best of luck!”

There are three showings of the play on 11th, 25th and 27th May and the hour-long play starts at 9pm. Tickets cost £10 (£8 concessions) and are available from two sources:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/act/slipping-through-my-fingers/e-ykpxgr

https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/slipping-through-my-fingers/

After the final performance on 27th, there will be a group discussion with Alex Louise and a community speaker from Alzheimer’s Research UK, who will talk about the latest findings in research and brain health.

To donate to Alex’s fundraising page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/slipping-through-my-fingers

For further information about Alzheimer’s Research UK, or to find out more about fundraising for the charity, call 0300 111 5555 or visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org.

Semi-autobiographical Brighton Fringe play shines a light on the love, loss and humour(!) of dementia