‘Reluctant Caregiver,’ discussion set for Elgin
Submitted by Elgin Cultural Arts Commission
The Elgin Cultural Arts Commission will present a staged reading of the award-winning new play “Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, and Saturday, Jan. 22, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, in downtown Elgin.
This reading is the second in its Page To Stage series. It will offer Elgin audiences a humorous, compassionate and provocative portrayal of one family’s transition when faced with an incurable illness. This event is sponsored by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, Elgin Art Showcase, and city of Elgin. It is free.
Audience members are invited to join in a discussion about palliative care, hospice and end-of-life issues with the playwright, directors, cast and health care professionals at an informal reception following each performance.
Unlike a fully mounted play, a staged reading utilizes actors carrying scripts while delivering their lines and acting out the events of the play. A narrator is frequently used to describe some of the visual elements and the action of the play. The playwright will be present at the performances to address audience questions about the development and subject matter of the play.
When Mae Benjamin moves back home to care for her terminally ill father, she imagines moments of reconciliation and grace. But as her father’s health declines, his obsession with the Sci-Fi Network and creating a machine to deliver him to another dimension intensifies. Using the machine, Mae summons her mother for guidance, and with humor and compassion strives to reach her final goal … to give her father a good death.
“Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver” demonstrates on a personal level how families transition when faced with an incurable illness, and illustrates the importance of having discussions that focus on palliative care, hospice and end-of-life issues. This script was the winner of the Jane Chambers Student Playwriting Award and a finalist in the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta) and the Princess Grace Award in Playwriting.
The cast features Elizabeth Bonasera, Sylvia Grady and Richard Pahl, all of Elgin. Diane McFarlin and Peter Lopatin of Sugar Grove are co-directors. Andy Murschel of Elgin will serve as the technical director.
Biechler’s plays include: “Bombs, Babes and Bingo” (2010 New Orleans Fringe Festival); “Real Girls Can’t Win!” (Stavis Playwriting Award nominee; Indiana State, Centenary College and Ohio University productions); and “Dolley Madison and the Secret History Club” (Kennedy Center/White House Historical Association commission). As a professional actor, she appeared off-Broadway in “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding,” and in the films “He Said, She Said,” “Man of the Year,” “The Thing Called Love” and “Trailerpark,” and in TV guest starring roles on “E.R.,” “Judging Amy,” “Murphy Brown” and “Love and War.”
She worked at ABC Television for three years writing scripts and treatments for its Movie-of-the-Week division, and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Actors’ Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild. The playwright is currently involved in programs using plays about dementia, diabetes, nurse burnout, and sickle cell disease as teaching tools for students and as community outreach. She sincerely believes that live theater is the perfect vehicle to address the complex issues of patient care.
Biechler also will present a writing workshop, “From Perfect Idea to Imperfect Words,” at the Elgin Art Showcase at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. Reservations are required and there is a nominal fee for this event. Information is available online at www.cityofelgin.org/events.
To learn more about Page To Stage and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, please contact city liaison, Sylvia Grady, by e-mail at grady_s@cityofelgin.org or visit cityofelgin.org.