The Time Before

Trapped between waking life and dreams, Olly delves into his childhood memories, navigating the fantastical dreamscapes his sister created to shield them from a fractured home. A journey into the buried past that shapes who we are. His story unfolds across two realms: raw, hand-drawn memories captured in childhood sketches, and surreal underwater live-action dreamscapes. As memory and imagination blur, The Time Before explores the emotional weight of a volatile father, a mother lost in the fog of memory, and a sister who offered escape through imagination and dreams.
A meditation on the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and what is lost in the telling.

Much of who we are is shaped by childhood memories we can’t fully recall, let alone understand — yet their emotional ripples run deep. The Time Before explores this terrain through the eyes of Olly, a boy retreating into shifting inner landscapes shaped by memory, imagination, and loss. The piece invites not just observation but emotional and physical participation. In the darkness of the headset, I hope participants will consider the fragility of their own memory — and the difficulty many children, especially boys, carry into adulthood when taught to suppress emotion. This is a piece about escape, distortion, and the quiet cost of staying silent.

PRODUCTION:
Leo Metcalf
Flat 16 Fellows Court Weymouth Terrace
E2 8LP London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 07586375787
E-mail: leometcalf@gmail.com
Web: https://www.leometcalf.com
Social Media: @leometcalf – Instagram

PRESS OFFICE:
Leo Metcalf
Flat 16 Fellows Court Weymouth Terrace
E2 8LP London, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 07586375787
E-mail: leometcalf@gmail.com