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We just see two hands holding each other on a bedsheet. There is a sense of love and poignancy in the way they touch hands

In Sickness And In Health

Tom Casling

Genre: Drama

Cast size: 2

Duration: 30 mins approx

Tom Casling | Drama | One Act | 1m, 1f

Short synopsis

This is a play about an elderly couple, Tom and Val Braithwaite, and tells of Val’s experience as her husband starts to display the early signs of dementia. Told in the style of ‘Shirley Valentine’, often being played directly to the audience, with Val stepping in and out of particular scenes as she recounts her story of Tom at various stages in the dementia process. Based on the actual experiences and feedback of partners of people with dementia.

‘In Sickness And In Health’ is part of a trilogy of plays written in 2010 under the title ‘Generation Gaps’. The first: 'Parent's Evening' dealt with issues of children 5-11 years of age. The second play: 'Children Of The Revolution' looked at issues with teenagers, and this, the third play was written as part of a Dementia Awareness Day before the illness was as well-known and understood as it is now.

The play chronicles the experience of Val as her husband develops dementia and   how their life and love deteriorates from a loving marriage to a carer and disabled person relationship. Val’s conversational approach with the audience develops a kind of intimacy and one is left wondering if Val is talking directly to every individual in the audience, or is sharing her thoughts out loud to no one in particular, or just reminiscing on what was.

The various scenes depict actual incidents gathered from people with real experiences, and although the condition is better understood nowadays and more support is in place, the experiences are very real. It is sad, poignant, and in a way uplifting

This play was first performed in October 2010 as part of a carers evening funded by the National Lottery

(1m, 1f)

  • Val Braithwaite - 65+
  • Tom Braithwaite - 65+

‘In Sickness And In Health’ is part of a trilogy of plays written in 2010 under the title ‘Generation Gaps’. The first: Parents Evening’ dealt with issues of children 5-11 years of age. The second play: ‘Children Of The Revolution’ looked at issues with teenagers, and this, the third play was written as part of a Dementia Awareness Day before the illness was as well-known and understood as it is now.

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In Sickness And In Health

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Frequently asked questions

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Of course! All our plays and pantomimes have a free Preview Script available for download as an A4 pdf file that contains 60-75% of the full script. If you like what you read then you can buy an inexpensive e-script of the entire play (typically less than half the cost of a traditional printed script) which is licensed to you for your personal use. Purchasing a script copying licence allows you to make just enough copies to support rehearsals and performances.

All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material  which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.

Some titles have the facility to read the entire script online on our website.

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Under the international laws of copyright, you must be in possession of a valid, unexpired licence before performing any piece of theatre unless the owner or managers of the copyright has waived their rights.

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