I Hate This
Encyclopedia
I Hate This is a solo performance by David Hansen
detailing his experiences as the father of a stillborn
child.
in 2003, this award winning performance has been presented at the Minnesota Fringe Festival
and the New York Fringe Festival
, as well as for numerous bereavement organisations in the United States and in Great Britain, and as a training event at hospitals for midwives, nurses and doctors. The production will be revived by the playwright at Cleveland Public Theater in April, 2011.
David Hansen (actor)
David Hansen is an actor, director, and a member of the Cleveland Play House Playwrights Unit. He is the founder of Dobama's Night Kitchen and co-founder of Guerrilla Theater Company and Bad Epitaph Theater Company and a recipient of a 2010 Creative Workforce Fellowship from the Community...
detailing his experiences as the father of a stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
child.
Production
First produced at Cleveland Public TheatreCleveland Public Theater
Cleveland Public Theatre is a theater and arts complex in Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1984 by James Levin. It is located at 6415 Detroit Avenue on Cleveland's west side in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. It will be one of the three anchors of the proposed Gordon Square Arts District. It is...
in 2003, this award winning performance has been presented at the Minnesota Fringe Festival
Minnesota Fringe Festival
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a performing arts festival held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, every summer, usually during the first two weeks in August. The eleven-day event, which features performing artists of many genres and disciplines, is one of many Fringe Festivals in North...
and the New York Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the...
, as well as for numerous bereavement organisations in the United States and in Great Britain, and as a training event at hospitals for midwives, nurses and doctors. The production will be revived by the playwright at Cleveland Public Theater in April, 2011.
Synopsis
At their thirty-week prenatal appointment, the playwright and his wife discover their first child has died due to preeclampsia. The events of the play cover the thirty-six hours between that revelation and the birth of their son, and also events during the year that leads up to this child's first birthday, all from the point of view of the father. In twenty-seven short scenes, the narrator performs a dozen characters including members of his family, friends, and a number of health care professionals and counselors.
"By elucidating such mundane moments as his futile attempts to be removed from a baby-food company mailing list, Hansen gives us a glimpse into day-to-day life after a baby dies."
- Laura Seftel, Grief Unseen