Description:

This heartbreaking new play explores the life of a troubled young girl named Cathy who has been emotionally crippled by a family secret and Dawson, the young man that she turns to for comfort and escape. Set in 1967, Cathy is haunted by images of the Watts Riots, an event she watched from her bedroom window two years ago. Dawson is conflicted with guilt and feels responsible for Cathy’s happiness while trying to understand the bizarre behavior of her wealthy parents as his own family struggles with poverty. Features roles for one woman and one man. It’s A Pleasure To Be Sad was developed in workshop at the 2007 Southampton Writers Conference in New York under the instruction of Marsha Norman. Contains mature themes.