Satan v. The Indiana Abortion Ban
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Leah
WEBSITE
lbarsanti.wixsite.com/lrbtheplaywright
SYNOPSIS
Hannah Gadsby got pregnant with the anti-Christ in a satanic ritual and then decided she didn’t actually want the world to end. Unfortunately she lives in Indiana, where getting an exception to the state’s abortion ban is difficult at best. This satirical courtroom drama about state’s rights and the Religious Right asks how far people will go to hold onto entrenched beliefs that no longer serve them.
PLAYWRIGHT’S BIO
Leah Roth Barsanti is a Chicago & San Francisco-based writer for the screen, stage, and radio waves who likes to write about strong girls and women trying to make space for themselves in a world that doesn’t ever make that easy. Specifically, she is interested in the topics of mental health, sports, the media, forgotten moments from our collective past, and anything Halloween-adjacent (ghosts, zombies, etc.). She also recently became a mom and will gladly show you pictures of her son Thomas if asked. You can find her here, on Instagram @blink1sk8e2, or on her website: https://lbarsanti.wixsite.com/lrbtheplaywright
A BIT ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
When did you start writing plays? If you had a moment where you realized you wanted to write, what was it?
I didn’t start writing plays until college. Before that I wrote poetry, and I was decent at that, but it was lonely. Playwriting allowed me to marry my extroversion and collaborative nature with my love of and talent for writing. The moment I really realized I wanted to write plays forever was in my first playwriting class. I wrote a god-awful play and got terrible feedback and still wanted to write more of them.
How did you come to write your OOB play? Was there a particular inspiration behind its creation? How has it developed?
Well, there used to be this landmark court case called Roe v. Wade that was really important for women’s rights. Then it got overturned and all hell broke loose. Then I got pregnant, very much on purpose, but it led me to realize “holy shit, NO ONE should every have to do this if they don’t want to.” So I did what I do and wrote a satirical play about all hell literally breaking loose.
What are five words that describe who you are as a playwright?
Mothers, media, everyone is wrong.
What/who are some of the major influences on your writing?
Tennessee Williams is a big one, and I named my son for him. Also a lot of badass female playwrights that are still making new work: Gina Femia, Jen Silverman, Erin Courtney, to name a few. I also learned a lot from the individuals in my graduate playwriting cohort at Northwestern (class of 2020!), many of whom are currently working playwrights, and all of whom inspire me daily.
What’s one fact someone would never guess about you?
I once jumped over a live alligator on roller skates. The gator was chill about it. I have a photo.
What are some of your favorite plays?
I am a very bad judge of character, so pretty much whatever I’m reading RIGHT NOW is my favorite. I just read Phanésia Pharels The Waterfall, and that was amazing. An all-time play that I come back to time and time again is Or, by Liz Duffy Adams. I think about that play a lot. Also Mud by Fornés. But talk to me after the show, and I’ll give you a new list.
Any new projects you’re working on or shameless plugs?
Chicagoans! Come out to a reading of my new play “Succulents: The Art of Adulting” on September 22nd at Christy Webber Farm & Garden. It’s a reading about plants in a plant store, and you can learn all about the launch of the Chicago Climate Arts Collective!
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