The Parents

Premiere!

Parenting – Disability – Society
By: Sanne Harder
Duration: 4 hours
Number of players: 3

There is a time in every adult’s life when you contemplate the idea of becoming a parent. If you are at a place in your life where you are with someone, you lay out all your thoughts, and you share them with your partner.

You know that parenthood is a one-way ticket. You know that nothing will prepare you for what is to come, and that the new person you are letting into you life is essentially a stranger, at least in the beginning. And yet – you have dreams and expectations.

This scenario is about parenting a child with a mental disability, which affects the life and future of your child. It is a stark depiction of interactions with the professionals around the child, and a portrait of how the situation puts the relationship under pressure – but also a story about loving the child you have, and learning to overcome the loss of the future you imagined for your child.

The scenario is intended for 3 players. Two of the players portray the parents, while the third player jumps in and out of other characters, sometimes playing a teacher or a doctor, or a family friend. The scenario spans a timeline of 18 years, from when the child shows the first signs of having a mental disability, and into young adulthood.

Download The_Parents by Sanne Harder

About the author
Sanne Harder is a Danish larpwright who has been active since the mid-nineties. Her scenarios are deeply rooted in the Nordic tradition, and can often be described as being “close to home”. You can see a full list of her works on Alexandria.