Glimpsing Sickness
Inspirations and Intentions
Glimpsing Sickness was created based on my experiences of illness in my family. Despite the fact that many illnesses are seriously debilitating and life-altering, we still cannot see them clearly. We can only get a small glimpse of the outward effects of an illness. Medical science has helped somewhat, in identifying and treating serious illnesses such as stroke, but it has been less successful in predicting the effects of the use of a combination of drugs for various conditions, and there are still thousands of cancer deaths each year. Even when we know scientifically about disease or illness, the human side of living with illness can still remain incomprehensible. I don’t know, and probably never will know, what my grandmother is thinking now as she walks around my parents’ home dusting or scribbling her name, but at least she is living out her last years as happy as would a two-year-old in a loving, comfortable home. Glimpsing Sickness may not provide any real answers even to my own questions, but exploration and questioning are the first step to greater understanding.
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Play Structure: |
1 Act |
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Cast size: |
5 |
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Gender: |
2 female, 1 male, 2 gender flexible. |
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Period: |
1980 and 1993 |
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Location: |
Grandma’s home; Garage of
Tara’s parents’ home. |
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Set: |
Flexible, one set. |
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Furniture: |
Hospital stretcher; living
room furnishings |
Publication History
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Glimpsing Sickness was published in the journal Wings, |
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