Based on an award-winning radio play and inspired by a true story, Mourning Dove explores the unspeakable dilemma faced by Doug Ramsay, the father of a severely disabled girl. A life of pain is the only life 12-year-old Tina Ramsay has ever known, and Doug is not convinced her next operation, described as a "salvage procedure", will make a difference. His wife, Sandra, believes it's their only choice. Keith, a family friend with challenges of his own, busies himself carving a dove to accompany Tina at the rehab centre where she will recover. When Doug takes matters-and Tina's life-into his own hands, no one is prepared for the fallout. Relationships are ruptured, assumptions are turned inside out.

Mourning Dove asks difficult questions about mercy killing, familial loyalty and personal ethics versus public morality. When does a private act become a public concern? Do a parent's responsibilities and a child's needs always intersect? Could taking a child's life in the name of love ever be justified? Controversial and challenging, Mourning Dove is a timely reminder of the power of theatre to transform age-old questions into art.