About the Play:

Finalist for the 2015 Governor General's Literary Award for Drama (Canadian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize)

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble is a full-length drama by Beth Graham. Bernice calls a family meeting to tell her three children she has early onset Alzheimer's. But she only tells Iris, her middle child, the real secret. Now Iris is in charge of putting a life-altering plan into motion in this touching story about life, memories and the perfect casserole. The oven is on and Iris's timer is set to remind her of a promise.

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble is a heart wrenching, yet subtle story that examines how a family deals with their mother Bernice's diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's. Iris Trimble is trying to hold it all together. She may very well fly off the face of the earth if she doesn't hang on to the kitchen counter. At least that's how she feels after her mother, Bernice, a lively, recently widowed fifty-nine-year-old breaks the news that she has Alzheimer's. In an effort to cope with the stress, Iris makes her mother's famous Everything That Is Bad For You Casserole, a childhood favourite. Her siblings, on the other hand, are on opposite sides of the spectrum: Sarah, the eldest, irately demands a second opinion, while Peter, the youngest, seems completely unfazed. As for Bernice, she's still as vivacious as ever, always up for a good laugh, and most of all, ready to finally put herself first. The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble is about the tricky nature of family dynamics and the effects of mental illness seen through the eyes of a young woman who's searching for her own feelings amidst the whirlwind emotions of her family.

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble premiered in 2013 by Obsidian Theatre and Factory Theatre at The Factory Theatre, Toronto, Ontario.

Cast: 3 women, 1 man

What people say:

"...impossible to make it to the end with a dry eye." — The Globe And Mail

"Exceptionally well written. The storytelling is intense, poignant, and exceptionally nuanced." — The Charlebois Post

"Honest, revealing and darkly funny." — BroadwayWorld

About the Playwright:

Beth Graham was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and raised in Cochrane, Alberta. She is an actor and playwright who graduated from the University of Alberta's BFA acting program. She is one of the co-creators of The Drowning Girls, which was nominated for the Carol Bolt Award and received the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama.