This one act play was written during my first year as an art program specialist in pediatrics at the University of California Davis Medical Center and focuses on two mothers, one whose child is dying and the other whose child is awaiting a diagnosis. First performed as part of Grand Rounds at UCDMC, the play has been produced in Los Angeles, Sacramento, NevadaCity, and Dillon, Montana. To make it more available, the play was originally videotaped through a grant from The Sierra Health Foundation and won Honorable Mention in a national video competition sponsored by the Association for the Care of Children’s Health. More recently, the play was updated to DVD format through the generosity of the Wong-Baker FACES Foundation. At the urging of the late Dr. Donna Wong, co-author of Nursing Care of Infants and Children, I wrote a discussion guide for it. You’re Getting Warmer is currently being used by many hospitals and grief training groups.
A Note from the Playwright: When I wrote You’re Getting Warmer in 1986, cigarette smoking was still prevalent, permitted in hospital smoking areas for patients, visitors, and even staff. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations mandated that hospitals be smoke-free by the end of 1993. Even now, a smoking ban at worksites, restaurants, and bars has been adopted by only 29 states in our country.
A one act play requires that contrasts between characters be developed quickly and effectively. The two characters in my play, Davey’s mother and Tiffany’s mother, are from different backgrounds and this is partially conveyed by the way they dress and speak. The smoking by Davey’s mother is meant to convey her anxiety about her son, but also her nervousness about approaching Tiffany’s mother.
Though I understand that smoking in a hospital setting is now unacceptable and may even seem dated, I hope that it will not cloud the important issues this play explores.
Script
A Note from the Playwright: To make the play, You’re Getting Warmer, more useful and current I have revised the script, taking out the dialogue and stage business that pertains to smoking. This play has few technical requirements which makes it easy to stage, but it would also be effective performed in a Readers Theater format.
Reviews & Praise
Victoria L. Davis and Susie Owens have given us a one-act here that is as finely crafted and fully developed for its length as any original three-act we have seen here {Sacramento Theatre Company}. The subject is two mothers (Pollard and Dillingham) who meet in the waiting room of a cancer hospital where their children are undergoing testing and treatment. Pollard is the more experienced (and affluent) of the two, while Dillingham is still learning how to deal with this difficult reality. Unlike the authors of some one-acts we have seen in the past, Davis is not afraid to take the time to fully develop her characters, and the dialogue perfectly mirrors the difficulty of dealing with the reality of grief… A gem.
~ Theatre reviewer, Jo Ashburn, The Sacramento Bee
“…In a subtle way, You’re Getting Warmer reminds the viewer that parents do not get to choose whether or not to play the role of a mother or father of a child with cancer, nor do they have the opportunity to prepare for the role. Pediatric nurses and other health care professionals who choose to work in such a setting are alerted to be sensitive to all parents, even those who appear to be ‘model parents.'” There are many other important messages and issues in the video such as factors contributing to parental stress, the “code of protection” between parents and their children, staff expectations of parents, and even the hospital environment itself. Davis includes an extensive discussion guide, which offers valuable information essential to those working with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The video/discussion guide package provides an excellent orientation to family concerns for hospital pediatric staff, oncology staff, nursing and medical students, clergy, social workers, volunteers, and grief counselors.
~ Judy A. Rollins, MS, RN, Pediatric Nursing/July-August 1990/Vol. 16/No.4
“In the stark emptiness of a hospital hallway, two mothers share their fears, concerns, and struggles — one for her son’s possible diagnosis of cancer and the other for her daughter’s approaching death. The most delicate of all questions — should a child be told about her dying — is presented in a poignant manner. This film is a treasure for both professionals and families of children with cancer. It draws from the heart what many professionals may only know in their heads. It provides for families’ validation that their fears and worries are shared by others in their situation. Most importantly, the film provides guidance for parents dealing with a child’s need to know the ultimate prognosis — death.”
~ Dr. Donna Wong, co-author of Essentials of Pediatric Nursing and co-creator of the Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale
Most gratifying to me was the presentation to the residents. After they viewed the tape, a very sensitive and revealing discussion took place. Issues dealing with their roles as physicians in the hospital, their interactions with and expectations of parents were discussed, as well as issues of those residents that are parents themselves. There are too few times in the hospital setting when medical staff have the opportunity to speak to one another regarding the humanistic issues for families “living” at the hospital. Your film is a wonderful tool for discussion, and it is a sensitively portrayed dramatic piece. It was warmly and enthusiastically received here, as I’m sure it will be at many other institutions.
~ Debra Monzack, CCLS, Social Services Department, Children’s Hospital of San Francisco