Till It Hurts
Comedy/Drama. 2m., 2f (several characters). 2 Acts
A Charitable Comedy
Till It Hurts centres around a sixtyish English professor, Seymour Mann, on the verge of early retirement. Before he can escape, however, in a matter of hours, he's supposed to give a Last Lecture to a large, elite audience. It's a prestigious occasion on which he's meant to distill the life lessons he's learned, the wit and wisdom he's gained over 30 plus years, and present it all in one enlightening, profound, and yet witty hour.
He's worked on the speech for months. This has forced him to confront the fact that he feels his life has amounted to nothing of significance, that he has nothing to say worth saying, no pearls of wit or wisdom to dispense. And at 8 o'clock he's going to have to stand up and be revealed for all to see as a fraud, a Hollow Man. His whole life is about to be encapsulated in one painfully public hour, signifying -- nothing. He has nightmares about approaching the pearly gates – ie., the podium in front of a thousand people – naked, with nothing to declare.
With this deadline looming, his state of mind is a toxic mix of depression and denial, tinged with panic. On top of this, as the clock ticks down, everything else that could go wrong seems to do just that. He doesn't have a clean shirt to wear and burns his hand trying to iron one. He spills his coffee and fries his laptop -- with his speech inside. He's being pestered by a perky event planner and harassed by an obsessive telemarketer with pressing problems of her own. He's ready to implode. Or explode. Or pack up and flee.
A Charitable Comedy
Till It Hurts centres around a sixtyish English professor, Seymour Mann, on the verge of early retirement. Before he can escape, however, in a matter of hours, he's supposed to give a Last Lecture to a large, elite audience. It's a prestigious occasion on which he's meant to distill the life lessons he's learned, the wit and wisdom he's gained over 30 plus years, and present it all in one enlightening, profound, and yet witty hour.
He's worked on the speech for months. This has forced him to confront the fact that he feels his life has amounted to nothing of significance, that he has nothing to say worth saying, no pearls of wit or wisdom to dispense. And at 8 o'clock he's going to have to stand up and be revealed for all to see as a fraud, a Hollow Man. His whole life is about to be encapsulated in one painfully public hour, signifying -- nothing. He has nightmares about approaching the pearly gates – ie., the podium in front of a thousand people – naked, with nothing to declare.
With this deadline looming, his state of mind is a toxic mix of depression and denial, tinged with panic. On top of this, as the clock ticks down, everything else that could go wrong seems to do just that. He doesn't have a clean shirt to wear and burns his hand trying to iron one. He spills his coffee and fries his laptop -- with his speech inside. He's being pestered by a perky event planner and harassed by an obsessive telemarketer with pressing problems of her own. He's ready to implode. Or explode. Or pack up and flee.
And while all of this may sound dramatic, the play is essentially a comedy, even verging on farce once or twice, but dealing with real issues, real truths – about the definition of a life well lived. About the deep-seated human desire to do good, to leave some meaningful mark, however small. About not wanting to be "a footprint in the sand of was."
With "guest appearances" (real or imagined) by such icons as Stephen Lewis, David Suzuki, Beethoven and the King of Ireland himself - Bono, Till It Hurts poses the age-old question - can a call from a telemarketer change your life?
Till It Hurts opened to a sold-out audience at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in September 2010.
"You'll laugh till it hurts. Production nothing short of brilliant.The Thousand Islands Playhouse production of Douglas Bowie's new play Till It Hurts is a rollicking roller-coaster ride of witty lines, broad physical comedy and pure enjoyment. The time flies by as you find yourself trying to remember Bowie's bon mots to repeat and impress someone at a later date ... The acting is stellar - really stellar in fact. Leading the way is Ian D. Clark, one of my favourite actors. Here he's a comic joy to watch. He takes Bowie's witty lines and throws them at the audience without telegraphing how funny they are. His Seymour is at times arrogant, rude, melodramatic and yet still a lovable curmudgeon ... I've seen most of the six plays that Bowie has premiered at the Playhouse and to me this is hands down the funniest. Go and tickle your funnybone." ~ Greg Burliuk, Kingston Whig Standard
With "guest appearances" (real or imagined) by such icons as Stephen Lewis, David Suzuki, Beethoven and the King of Ireland himself - Bono, Till It Hurts poses the age-old question - can a call from a telemarketer change your life?
Till It Hurts opened to a sold-out audience at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in September 2010.
"You'll laugh till it hurts. Production nothing short of brilliant.The Thousand Islands Playhouse production of Douglas Bowie's new play Till It Hurts is a rollicking roller-coaster ride of witty lines, broad physical comedy and pure enjoyment. The time flies by as you find yourself trying to remember Bowie's bon mots to repeat and impress someone at a later date ... The acting is stellar - really stellar in fact. Leading the way is Ian D. Clark, one of my favourite actors. Here he's a comic joy to watch. He takes Bowie's witty lines and throws them at the audience without telegraphing how funny they are. His Seymour is at times arrogant, rude, melodramatic and yet still a lovable curmudgeon ... I've seen most of the six plays that Bowie has premiered at the Playhouse and to me this is hands down the funniest. Go and tickle your funnybone." ~ Greg Burliuk, Kingston Whig Standard
Production History
Festival Antigonish
Antigonish, NS
August 1 - 25, 2012
Directed by Jeremy Webb
Featuring: Ed Thomason, Shelley Thompson, Joanne Miller, Christian Murray
Prairie Theatre Exchange
Winnipeg, MB
March 28 - April 15, 2012
Directed by Robert Metcalfe
Featuring: Allan Morgan, Melanie Whyte, Kevin Klassen, Elizabeth Stephensen
Globus Theatre
Bobcaygeon, ON
August 10 - 20, 2011
Directed by James Barrett
Featuring Sarah Quick, Mark Whalen, Sophia Fabilli, Ryan Fisher
Antigonish, NS
August 1 - 25, 2012
Directed by Jeremy Webb
Featuring: Ed Thomason, Shelley Thompson, Joanne Miller, Christian Murray
Prairie Theatre Exchange
Winnipeg, MB
March 28 - April 15, 2012
Directed by Robert Metcalfe
Featuring: Allan Morgan, Melanie Whyte, Kevin Klassen, Elizabeth Stephensen
Globus Theatre
Bobcaygeon, ON
August 10 - 20, 2011
Directed by James Barrett
Featuring Sarah Quick, Mark Whalen, Sophia Fabilli, Ryan Fisher
Victoria Playhouse
Victoria by-the-Sea, PEI
July 22 - August 7, 2011
Directed by Erskine Smith
Featuring Erskine Smith, Kathleen Hamilton, Breanna Moore, and Mark Fraser
"Smart, rapidfire, funny ... plenty of inspired moments ... plenty of fun." ~ Charlottetown Guardian
"The Hit of the Season" ~ Pat Stunden-Smith, General Manager. Victoria Playhouse
Victoria by-the-Sea, PEI
July 22 - August 7, 2011
Directed by Erskine Smith
Featuring Erskine Smith, Kathleen Hamilton, Breanna Moore, and Mark Fraser
"Smart, rapidfire, funny ... plenty of inspired moments ... plenty of fun." ~ Charlottetown Guardian
"The Hit of the Season" ~ Pat Stunden-Smith, General Manager. Victoria Playhouse
Premiere Production
Thousand Islands Playhouse
Gananoque, ON
September 10 - October 9, 2010
Directed by Daryl Cloran
Set and costumes designed by Lorenzo Savoini
Featuring Ian D. Clark, Maria Ricossa, Sarah Wilson, and Jeff Meadows
"I enjoyed it immensely. In fact, I can't remember when I last laughed so hard at the theatre. It's a great accomplishment to have written a farce that is so funny and at the same time really rather relevant ... Thanks for writing such a great play" ~ Craig Walker, Professor of Drama, Queen's University
Thousand Islands Playhouse
Gananoque, ON
September 10 - October 9, 2010
Directed by Daryl Cloran
Set and costumes designed by Lorenzo Savoini
Featuring Ian D. Clark, Maria Ricossa, Sarah Wilson, and Jeff Meadows
"I enjoyed it immensely. In fact, I can't remember when I last laughed so hard at the theatre. It's a great accomplishment to have written a farce that is so funny and at the same time really rather relevant ... Thanks for writing such a great play" ~ Craig Walker, Professor of Drama, Queen's University
Playwright's Notes for the Premiere Production