The Soldier Dreams

Ian Burns Maclennan is an assistant professor of theatre arts at
Thorneloe College, Laurentian University.

David, the central character of this memory play, is dying of AIDS, and
his lover and siblings are in conflict. As the dreams of the dying David
are misinterpreted by the living, we see the importance of claiming our
own lives and memories as meaningful. While the play explores such
issues as the rights of surviving partners, at its core is the interplay
between the living and the dying. The juxtaposition of the dying David
with the living David—played by another actor in the memory
scenes—demands and elicits a visceral response from the audience. This
intimate performance piece would work quite well in a small venue.