A daughter opens her home to her separated parents, one with dementia, and becomes their caregiver. Running with Coffee is a one-person performance play in which writer/performer Eileen Byrne portrays eleven characters. Based on a true story about memory loss, mental health and isolation within a family.

ARTIST STATEMENT

“It’s hard to know what’s the right thing to do when you become parent to your parents,”

- Sue Landry, Running with Coffee.

Sue Landry, the main character of my play, Running with Coffee, thinks about caregiving as she sits in a doctor’s office with her father, awaiting test results.   Sue is caught as a member of the sandwich generation, caring for her children as well as her separated parents and losing herself in the process. Sue makes me think about how characters connect with an audience. How do words, actions, body language, honesty and humor all have an emotional impact? When you’re sitting in a darkened theater, what do we experience through characters that compel us to view our world through their eyes and relate to each other in a different way?

When I write for Sue, or for any of my characters, I am making choices and exploring my role as a daughter, sister, mother, wife, teacher, friend and caregiver and pouring my many selves into my work as a playwright and actress. After my performances, a lot of people open up to talk about their personal experiences with caregiving, especially because those experiences can be isolating and draining and so I am  proud that my work can help build trust and community and serve to support each other. This is what motivates me as an artist and it’s why I love to write and perform.

I arrived at the An Beal Bocht Cafe ready to review Eileen Byrne Richards’ one-woman performance of Running with Coffee only to realize I was attending a family reunion—shockingly, my family reunion.

The hour-long performance—written and performed by [Byrne] and presented by the Poor Mouth Theater Company, part of the Origin 1st Irish Festival—is set in Chicago, with most of the remembrances occurring in Queens (New York) in the 1970s. A branch of my family tree resided there—the Queens Murphys (as opposed to the New Jersey Murphys or the Cincinnati Murphys—we are not terribly clever at naming things). So, Ms. Richards’ detailed and insightful recounting of her family history reminded me so much of my uniquely Irish Catholic upbringing. And it was a tale that touched the heart with sadness, regret, and guilt, as only the Irish can pull off, and which was well done here.

By Walter Murphy

The Woman's Club of Wilmette is thrilled to present Running with Coffee, a one-woman show written and performed by Eileen Byrne Richards. This timely tragicomedy offers a hilarious yet heartfelt look at caregiving, mid-life challenges, mental health, and the everyday chaos of a family adjusting to major life changes- including fighting over the washing machine after your parents move in!

Join us for an evening of laughter and reflection as Richards brings to life the joys and struggles of being a mother, daughter, sister, wife, and woman in today’s world.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to support local arts, celebrate strong women, and enjoy a truly unique performance. We look forward to see you there!

WILMETTE LIVING

United Solo Fest, ‘25

New York City