I Hate This

I Hate This (a play without the baby)
Promotional image, 2003 (Anthony Gray)
Written by	David Hansen
Date premiered	February 28, 2003
Place premiered	Cleveland Public Theatre Cleveland, OH
Original language	English
Subject	Loss of a stillborn child, told from a father's perspective.
Genre	Monodrama
Setting	2001, in a hospital, various other locations

I Hate This (a play without the baby) is a solo performance by David Hansen detailing his experiences as the father of a stillborn child.

Production

First produced at Cleveland Public Theatre in 2003, this award winning performance ^[1] has been presented at the Minnesota Fringe Festival and the New York Fringe Festival, as well as for numerous bereavement organisations in the United States and in Great Britain, and as a training event at hospitals for midwives, nurses and doctors.^[2] The production was revived by the playwright at Cleveland Public Theater in April, 2011.^[3]

In October 2014 the play was first performed in its entirety by a different actor than David Hansen. Freerange Theatre Company produced I Hate This at The Lowry Studio Theatre in Manchester, England. The role of David was played by John Dayton, directed by Hugo Chandor. In November 2015 I Hate This was produced at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York in a fully realized production directed, designed and performed by Brian Chandler Cook.^[4]

Synopsis

At their thirty-week prenatal appointment, the playwright and his wife discover their first child has died due to preeclampsia. The events of the play cover the thirty-six hours between that revelation and the birth of their son, and also events during the year that leads up to this child's first birthday, all from the point of view of the father. In twenty-seven short scenes, the narrator performs a dozen characters including members of his family, friends, and a number of health care professionals and counselors.

"By elucidating such mundane moments as his futile attempts to be removed from a baby-food company mailing list, Hansen gives us a glimpse into day-to-day life after a baby dies."

- Laura Seftel, Grief Unseen^[5]

Critical response

New York Times critic Jason Zinoman called I Hate This, "A well-made and often affecting drama."^[6] Deb Hoodiman, writing for nytheatre.com called the production, "Powerful, sad and enjoyable."^[7]

Radio Drama Adaptation

Northeast Ohio NPR affiliate WCPN 90.3 FM created a radio adaptation of I Hate This which was first broadcast on November 25, 2005.^[8] For this adaptation, David Hansen provided the voice for his own character, with all other characters and the narrator voiced by notable Cleveland-area performers including Dorothy and Reuben Silver, Nina Domingue, Betsy Hogg and Nick Koesters. The program was produced by Hansen, Dave DeOreo, and Al Dahlhausen.

This radio drama adaptation of I Hate This received awards from the Ohio Society for Professional Journalists Awards (Best Radio Documentary, First Place, 2006)^[9] and the WBEZ Third Coast International Audio Festival (Finalist, 2007).^[10]

References