Season 2021

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble

by Beth Graham

“Gravity is a good hugger – it keeps you from flying off the earth and hurtling through space.”

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 55-year-old, breaks the news that she has early onset 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 favorite. Her siblings, on the other hand, are on opposite sides of the spectrum: Sara, the eldest, irately calls for 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.

**Directed by Jesse Gephart

*** Please be advised that this show deals with themes of dementia and suicide.