The Memory of Water is a comedy written by English playwright Shelagh Stephenson, first staged at Hampstead Theatre in 1996. It won the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

Mary, Catherine and Teresa are sisters who think they share a common past. A world of disputed bicycles, midnight ice-cream sodas, Mum's cocktail dresses and perfumed advice - a seaside childhood punctuated by the odd monosyllable from Dad. But where does reality end and family myth begin? Why has war broken out in Mother's bedroom - and why is Vi, so recently deceased, still with us?

‘Stephenson’s play balances riotous humour and pathos, with its melancholia lingering in your memory.’ The Guardian
Directed by Hailey McQueen

Praise for Instructions for Correct Assembly at Flight Path Theatre in 2025:

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Stage Door Podcast 

“An imaginative, playfully pessimistic yet compassionate piece of work” - Sydney Morning Herald

“One provocative, audacious piece of theatre” - Theatre Red