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.
Authors
David B. Hogan, Samantha Macdonald, Philip D. St. John, William John Pratt, Meg Braem
- Pages
- 118
- Published in
- Calgary, CA
- Series
- Brave & Brilliant
Table of Contents
- Front Cover 1
- Half Title Page 2
- Full Title Page 4
- Copyright Page 5
- Contents 6
- FOREWORD 8
- FLIGHT RISK - A Play by Meg Braem 14
- Playwright’s Notes 16
- Characters 18
- Setting 20
- SCENE 1 22
- SCENE 2 22
- SCENE 3 28
- SCENE 4 29
- SCENE 5 38
- SCENE 6 40
- SCENE 7 46
- SCENE 8 51
- SCENE 9 56
- SCENE 10 65
- SCENE 11 66
- SCENE 12 69
- SCENE 13 71
- CANADIANS IN BOMBER COMMAND,AGING IN THE AFTERMATH OF WAR,AND THE STAGING OF FLIGHT RISK 74
- Flying in the Dark: The Canadian BomberCommand Experience and Meg Braem’sFlight Risk 76
- Per Ardua Ad Astra 98
- Director’s Notes 104
- Original Cast, Direction, and Crew 106
- Notes 108
- Acknowledgments 114
- Contributor Biographies 116
- Series Page 119
- Bsck Cover 120
