Mourning Dove

By Emil Sher

Based on an award-winning radio drama and inspired by a true story, Mourning Dove explores the unspeakable dilemma faced by Doug Ramsay, the father of a severely disabled girl. A wheelchair-bound life of pain and surgery is all 12-year-old Tina Ramsay has ever known, and Doug is not convinced her next operation, coolly described by Tina’s doctor as a “salvage procedure”, will make any difference. His wife, Sandra, believes it’s their only choice. Keith, a family friend with developmental disabilities, cherishes Tina and is carving a dove to accompany her during rehab.

Forced down a path he knows will lead to more pain for his only child, Doug finally takes matters ― and Tina’s life ― into his own hands. Doug’s decision makes him a criminal in the eyes of the law, a monster to some, and a man of courage to many. Yet one question persists: did he make the only loving choice?

Challenging yet accessible to a range of audiences and age groups, Mourning Dove asks pointed questions about life and death, love and suffering. Do ethical responsibilities and a child’s needs always intersect? Could taking a child’s life in the name of love ever be justified? Who gets to play God?

Production History

Mourning Dove began as a commissioned radio play for CBC’s morningside first broadcast in 1996. Selected as the Canadian entry in the inaugural Worldplay Festival showcasing the best of English-language drama, it has been broadcast in the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South Africa and translated into Slovak.

Emil adapted the radio play for the stage while a playwright-in-residence at Necessary Angel Theatre. He developed the script with then Artistic Director Richard Rose, leading to public workshops in 2002 in Toronto and at the University of Lethbridge. A staged reading followed at the national showcase of new plays in Philadelphia.

Mourning Dove premiered at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in February 2005.

Mourning Dove has since been staged by Theatre & Company (Kitchener), Neptune Theatre (Halifax), Pacific Theatre (Vancouver), Kill Your Television (Edmonton), the Ark Collective (Toronto), San Pedro Playhouse and Sudbury Theatre Centre.

Mourning Dove was published by Playwrights Canada Press; 1st edition edition (may 1 2005) and is available through PGC’s Canadian Play Outlet.

Mourning Dove (radio) published in Airplay: an Anthology of CBC Radio Drama by Scirocco Drama.