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Play based on nurse Elizabeth WettlauferBԪַs crimes proves divisive among victimsBԪַ families

Blyth Festival Theatre artistic director Gil Garratt co-wrote the play with Kelly McIntosh
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A play set against the backdrop of the case of an Ontario nurse who killed eight elderly patients has drawn polarized reactions from some of the victimsBԪַ family members.

A theatre in Blyth, Ont., north of London, is staging a show next month that dramatizes the fallout of the murders committed by Elizabeth Wettlaufer.

Wettlaufer is serving a life sentence after confessing to killing eight patients with insulin overdoses and attempting to kill four others at long-term care facilities and private homes in Ontario for about a decade.

Blyth Festival Theatre artistic director Gil Garratt, who co-wrote the play with Kelly McIntosh, said BԪַIn the Wake of WettlauferBԪַ will not portray the serial killer or her crimes.

Rather, Garratt said the production seeks to explore the impact of a case that BԪַirrevocably changedBԪַ communities within southwestern Ontario, and raised questions about gaps in long-term care of seniors more broadly.

BԪַWe bear a responsibility, as a community and as a society, for what weBԪַve allowed to occur here,BԪַ Garratt said.

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BԪַItBԪַs not to say that weBԪַre responsible for the crimes of Elizabeth Wettlaufer; she is responsible for those crimes. But we have a responsibility for having allowed (the long-term care) system to become what it has.BԪַ

The plot follows a group of siblings struggling to make a decision about how to best care for their aging father who has dementia. After the patriarchBԪַs death, the family is sent reeling when itBԪַs revealed that Wettlaufer worked at the long-term care facility they had put him in.

Eight relatives of WettlauferBԪַs victims were consulted in the process of developing the show, Garratt said.

One of those family members, Daniel Silcox, said when he heard about the show, he was initially concerned that it would sensationalize the stories of victims like his father, 84-year-old James Silcox, who was murdered in 2007.

But after speaking to the playwrights, Daniel Silcox said it was clear they had done their homework on the case, and he was reassured by their sensitivity to the feelings of the victimsBԪַ families.

One of his requests was that the play be suffused with a message of hope about repairing the long-term care system so no one else has to suffer the loss his family has experienced.

BԪַIBԪַd like to see this play be part of my fatherBԪַs legacy,BԪַ Silcox said by phone from Pontypool, Ont. BԪַI donBԪַt want him to go out as a victim of Elizabeth Wettlaufer. I want him to go out as a war hero, a wonderful father, and somebody who in his own small way contributed to improving the long-term care industry.BԪַ

Silcox and his sisters will be in the audience on the showBԪַs opening night on Aug. 9.

Meanwhile, Susan Horvath said if her health allows, sheBԪַll be outside the theatre picketing.

Her father, 75-year-old Arpad Horvath, was killed in 2014 at Meadow Park Long Term Care in London, Ont.

Although Garratt said another member of Arpad HorvathBԪַs family is involved in the show, Susan Horvath said she was not approached to offer her input.

Many victimsBԪַ families are still grappling with the grief that resurfaced as part of the provinceBԪַs public inquiry into the case, which is due to release a final report on July 31, and she said seeing WettlauferBԪַs name BԪַglamorized on stageBԪַ will only cause further pain.

BԪַThe victims arenBԪַt even over this. WeBԪַre still in shock and itBԪַs getting worse as time goes on,BԪַ she said.

When it comes to having an impact on how long-term care facilities are run, itBԪַs the government that will make change happen, not a theatrical play, she added.

BԪַItBԪַs an opportunity for them to make money off the devastation of victims,BԪַ she said.

Garratt said the theatre has been working with Susan HorvathBԪַs lawyer to assuage her concerns.

The Blyth Festival Theatre is not-for-profit, he noted, suggesting the costs of the production will outweigh the potential box office.

He said the playwrights didnBԪַt reach out to all the family members of victims out of respect for their privacy, and encouraged those who are BԪַtoo affectedBԪַ by the show to try to avoid it.

Garratt argued that the productionBԪַs proximity to the public inquiry only bolsters its relevance, allowing the play to engage in a conversation that Canada wouldnBԪַt be having had WettlauferBԪַs crimes not been exposed.

BԪַCould we create a play about the Titanic without mentioning icebergs?BԪַ he said. BԪַElizabeth WettlauferBԪַs crimes have really punched a hole in the publicBԪַs understanding of what long-term care is.BԪַ

The showBԪַs four-week run will also be accompanied by special programming about its themes, including a talk by author Lawrence Hill on Aug. 28 about his motherBԪַs medically assisted death.

Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press





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