Take Care

"This isn't hard. This is easy. Sticking it out for your family, that's hard."

Take Care

A mother and her preteen daughter embrace tightly, their eyes closed.
A mother and her preteen daughter embrace tightly, their eyes closed.
by Ellen Denny

2 F / 1 M

90 mins

Comedic Drama

Live Percussion (Vibraphone)

Minimal Set / Props

A woman watches in amusement as a younger man pretends to sing into a microphone
A woman watches in amusement as a younger man pretends to sing into a microphone
Synopsis

Having paused her career to raise her daughter, 42 year old writer Johanna Dunham is finally plotting her grand return. She’s even one-upped Virginia Woolf and found the perfect 'house of one's own’ where she can write. But when her husband suffers a stroke, Johanna is thrust into life as a caregiver spouse and single mom to 12 year old Lucy. After a disastrous visit to a caregivers support group, Johanna is on the brink of driving off into the night, when she nearly runs over Len, the handsome young firefighter-next-door longing for an escape of his own...

A funny, messy, honest look at surviving life's curveballs.

What audiences are saying...

“The heartfelt story unfolded with grace and grit in this touching script.”

“90 minutes of sheer enjoyment”

“Really moving and funny”

“A great script... Its blend of humour and tenderness are so resonant with real life.”

A frazzled woman points towards the edge of the frame as she sucks back a juicebox
A frazzled woman points towards the edge of the frame as she sucks back a juicebox

Production History

Take Care premiered at Here for Now Theatre Company in Stratford, Ontario in August 2022. It was directed by Jan Alexandra Smith, with movement direction by Patrice Bowler, lighting design by Stephen Degenstein, and costume and set design by Monique Lund.

Original Cast

Sara-Jeanne Hosie as JOHANNA

Emma Cuzzocrea as LUCY

Tenaj Williams as LEN

With live vibraphone scoring by Max Lindsay

Photography by Terry Manzo

Developed with support from the Toronto Arts Council

A preteen and her mom stand with their mouths hanging open, in the foreground we see a vibraphone.
A preteen and her mom stand with their mouths hanging open, in the foreground we see a vibraphone.

LUCY

Why isn't Dad saying anything?? He opens his mouth, but all that comes out is-

BONG from low on vibraphone. Lucy and Johanna’s mouths snap open then drift shut.

A preteen girl dances giddily as she spins to look at the camera
A preteen girl dances giddily as she spins to look at the camera
A man and woman lean towards each other, foreheads touching, his arms around her neck
A man and woman lean towards each other, foreheads touching, his arms around her neck

"Artist moms are different cause they need lots of sleep, except at night..."