Featured in the national literary journal REVIEW AMERICANA. 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. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE SAD was developed in workshop at the Southampton Writers Conference in New York under the instruction of Marsha Norman.