Lament For the Living
Who's performed this show?
The Henry Lawson Theatre NSW
Synopsis
A short monodrama set in colonial times when childbirth was a major cause of female death and there was no degree of certainty that children would survive to adulthood. Mary Macdonald's husband has left her and their six children to chase a will-o-the wisp on the goldfields. After tending a drover's boy, Mary carries diphtheria home to her family and then has to cope with the devastating disease alone. Mary's disturbed mind moves her between various episodes in the past, an uncertain grip on the present, and a hesitant view of the future. The climax is powerful and moving.
This prize winning play is very easy to mount and requires a strong dramatic female actor.