Waiting Room

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Synopsis:

“Chrissie and Jeremy have spent a great deal of time in shock, waiting—for news of their baby daughter’s post-operation recovery, for weekly scans to show that her tumour is gone, for robotic forty-five-second updates from Dr. Andre Malloy, their brilliant but arrogant neuro-oncologist.

The hospital waiting room has become a second home where they struggle separately as parents and as a couple, where they laugh inappropriately, lose tempers, and find resilience as they confront a roller coaster of hope and despair and a crisis of decision-making. And just beyond the waiting room, Dr. Malloy faces his own dark and risky medical dilemma. With sharp insight, Waiting Room examines medical ethics, compassion, gallows humour, and humanity in life-threatening situations.” (From the CPO Website)

Characters:

Andre – forty-five

Chrissie – late twenties

Jeremy – early thirties

Melissa – thirties

Brenda – late forties

Aayan – forties

First Produced:

2015, Tarragon Theatre

Resources:

Waiting Room is published by Playwrights Canada Press. Also available through the CPO Website.

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Collette's Picks

Selection Notes:

As someone who's had a sibling that's had a long stay in a children's hospital, this play hits close to home. Flacks explores what the definition of ‘caring’ for someone really means, as well as how the roles and responsibilities of parents and doctors can have clashing results. Flacks’ is a master of two-hander scenes and how gender roles and politics influence decision making. - Collette