Lamentations of a Demented Old Woman
a play in minutes
by P. A. Wray

About the Play: Lamentations of a Demented Old Woman reveals the memories of a woman who may (or may not) be suffering from dementia. Considered a nuisance by the children who must care for her, she relies on her own inner strength to combat their lack of understanding and concern.

Time: The present

Setting: A room in the house of an old woman. The room needs little furniture. In fact, the play can be done with only a wheelchair in a spotlight.

Characters:
Mother: a woman in her late sixties.
Her Daughter
Two Male Voices off-stage

From the Play:
Mother’s head is slumped on her chest and her eyes are closed. Her hands are contracted in a flexed position. She does not respond to conversation.

Mother: You would think they would’ve been more understanding; that they could see their future in my face. They should’ve known that we all have to grasp and hold onto joy wherever we can find it, especially when our horizons grow short. But no, they were not that perceptive. They only saw through eyes that were clouded with greed and jealously. This was their short-coming and my downfall.

(She looks to the side as if startled by a loud noise)

They shout and yell at each other; they think I can’t hear. And what if I do hear? They think my mind is too far gone to know anything, to have a thought or a memory.

(Smiling slyly)

I’ve led them to that assumption; I’ve had them believe my dementia has progressed and that I’m almost totally deaf. Neither is true. I’ve just withdrawn from what I can no longer bear … I had to withdraw from them after I found out what they had done.

(She pauses briefly, then with a wink and tap on her forehead, she continues)

I’m still in here, and I have my memories.

About the Playwright:
In her pre-writing days, P. A. Wray had extensive experience as a physical therapist with people of all ages who faced life on the edge of pain and immobility. Putting her observations to work, she is now a playwright, having studied her craft at Old Dominion University, and is President of the Playwrights Forum and a Board member of the Generic Theater in Norfolk, VA.