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Drama Women Authors

Flight Risk

by (author) Meg Braem

director Samantha Macdonald

contributions by William John Pratt, David B. Hogan & Philip D. St. John

Publisher
University of Calgary Press
Initial publish date
Oct 2023
Category
Women Authors, Canadian, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781773854724
    Publish Date
    Oct 2023
    List Price
    $28.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781773854717
    Publish Date
    Oct 2023
    List Price
    $38.99
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781773854748
    Publish Date
    Oct 2023
    List Price
    $14.99

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Description

World War II veteran Hank Dunfield is about to turn one hundred years old. The staff at Ponderosa Pine Lodge have recruited Sarah, a young nursing student, to keep Hank safe, comfortable, and in the building while they plan a grand centenarian celebration. There’s one problem: Hank doesn’t want to live that long.

 

Seemingly opposites, Hank and Sarah kindle a deep friendship. Sarah fears the future with multiple sclerosis will be even more isolated, difficult, and painful than the isolated, difficult, and painful present. Hank, a tail gunner during the Second World War, opens his heart to share the deep knowledge of fear, luck, and flying into battle he learned over his. combat missions. Sarah and Hank find strength in each other as they face their deepest fears.

 

Based on interviews with veterans in Alberta seniors’ homes and the skilled nurses who care for them, Flight Risk is the story of finding exactly who you need when you least expect it. An empathetic exploration of grief, friendship, and hope, this play asks what we lose when we ignore the knowledge of our elderly, challenges the way that we think about aging and death, and inspires a brighter, more compassionate future.

About the authors

Meg Braems plays have won the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama at the Alberta Literary Awards and the Alberta Playwriting Competition, and Blood: A Scientific Romance was nominated for a Governor Generals Literary Award for Drama. Her work has been presented at the Citadel Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Lunchbox Theatre, the Belfry Theatre, Sage Theatre, Sparrow & Finch Theatre, Theatre Transit, Atomic Vaudeville, and Intrepid Theatre. She is a past member of the Citadel Playwrights Forum and was a playwright-in-residence at Workshop West Playwrights Theatre. Her next book, Feminist Resistance: A Graphic Approach (co-authored with Norah Bowman and Domique Hui), will be published by University of Toronto Press in 2019. Meg currently divides her time between Edmonton as the Lee Playwright in Residence at the University of Alberta and Calgary as the co-director of the Alberta Theatre Projects Playwrights Unit.

Meg Braem's profile page

Samantha Macdonald's profile page

William John Pratt's profile page

David B. Hogan is the academic lead of the Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging, a specialist in internal medicine, and a sub-specialist in geriatric medicine. He has held the Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Calgary for twenty-five years.

David B. Hogan's profile page

Philip D. St. John's profile page

Editorial Reviews

A lovely story takes flight

Jenna Shummoogum, getdown.ca

A frank and thoughtful work that deserves to be both read and staged widely.

Literary Review of Canada

Just an all-round winner

Ann Connors, High Performance Rodeo

Meg has an ingenious ability to blend humour with sadness. A wonderful play to see.

R. Douglas Francis, University of Calgary

Offers chuckles and insights in abundance

Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Herald

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