[NEohioPAL]I Hate This UK Tour

[David Hansen]

I HATE THIS - a play without the baby
a solo performance by David Hansen
- a national tour

Join David Hansen for I HATE THIS, a solo performance that takes you from
the moment his son was born and through the year that follows.... but not i=
n
that order. This is an honest, compelling and even humorous trip through on=
e
father's experience of stillbirth.

We are delighted that, following his performance at Sands AGM in 2006, Davi=
d
Hansen is returning to the UK this summer for a two week tour of his play.

"A really powerful play that will make you laugh and cry and will touch you=
r
heart in many ways."

9th June - Carlisle
booking enquiries - Libby 01768 881971

12th June - London - launch of Sands new Guidelines
booking enquiries - Sue 0845 6520 443

14th June - Lincoln
booking enquiries - Julia 01522 698784

16th June - Birmingham
booking enquiries - Lis 07709 425001

18th June - Northern Ireland
booking enquiries - Steven 07740 993450

20th June - Exeter
booking enquiries - Gill 07881 950271

22nd June - Plymouth
booking enquiries - Nick 07758 336760

For general enquiries please contact the office 020 7436 7940 or
support at uk-sands.org

Review of I Hate This

David Hansen's one man play takes the audience through his experience of
stillbirth. David's son Calvin was stillborn at thirty weeks, and David has
found an honest, compelling, poignant and sometimes even humorous way to
tell his story.

The play follows two strands, which intermingle throughout the show. One
story-thread details the 36 hours from discovering by ultrasound that his
baby has died, to the moment of his son's birth. In alternating scenes we
also learn about the year following Calvin's death, and how the people in
his life react to David and his partner Toni's grief.

David plays several characters, including his parents, brothers, an old
friend and even his young niece. David's family feels discomfort in
acknowledging what has happened. Their reluctance to talk openly about
Calvin leaves David and Toni feeling confused and isolated. Only his niece,
with the directness of children, breaks through this unease.

The segments which re-live the time Toni and David spent in hospital are
painfully real. From David's confusion and inability to take on board the
words the registrar was saying: =B3What? What could be the matter? The truth
was incomprehensible so I didn't even think of it=B2, and the blur of dealing
with many new and unexpected choices: =B3Suddenly we had one day to make a
completely different set of decisions, decisions we never, in our worst
nightmares, thought we'd have to make. See it? Name it? Hold it?=B2, the se
scenes capture the bewilderment and devastation so many parents feel.

This strand of the story also graphically exemplifies the difference betwee=
n
good and bad professional care. =8CNurse Evil', who is with the couple during
part of Toni's labour, is toe-curlingly unfeeling - it is lesson in what no=
t
to do and say.

The play follows a roller coaster of emotions: guilt, blame, fear, anger,
emptiness and grief. David does not shy away from portraying painful
moments, but neither is the play oppressive.

There are moments when the crass insensitivity of some people's reactions
are so awful as to be comic. David's sideways glance at the audience invite=
s
us to identify with the impact of being on the receiving end, while at the
same time conveying an understanding that it is hard for anyone to know wha=
t
to say.

The tension of the play is relieved by scenes of humour, for example his
on-going battle to have his name taken off a mail-order list for baby
products. The lightness is just as effective in making the point that such
tactless treatment causes distress.

The milestones throughout the year are touched on: funeral, due date,
birthday - small but telling details remembered. In one, as the y hear the
autopsy report read out, David infills his personal reaction as the fa the =
r
of the =8Csubject' of the impersonal, medicalised report, concluding with wha=
t
the report can never tell him:

=B3That's it. We cannot confirm whether or not he liked Elvis, Chinese food o=
r
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That is all you will ever know about your
son.=B2

David's excellent performance is honest, direct and engaging. He connects
with the audience in an understated way, but the power of the experience is
very real. For bereaved and non-bereaved alike this extraordinary play
touched the heart of a heartbreaking experience.

http://uk-sands.org/

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