Content warning: abortion
Following its successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer, theatre makers and activists Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella are bringing their play, Blanket Ban, a rallying cry for Maltese reproductive rights to Southwark Playhouse this spring.
Blanket Ban is a docu-play looking at the consequences of the blanket ban on abortion in Malta, the only country in the EU which entirely prohibits abortion. The play combines the lived experiences of the artists with interviews, stories and video footage of Maltese women who have suffered the life changing and life threatening consequences of Malta’s abortion ban. The show was based on three years of interviews with activists and anonymous contributors and forms part of a rallying cry of international calls to end Malta’s draconian abortion laws.
The show’s premiere last summer came just weeks after the overturning of Roe Vs Wade in the US, and around the same time as Malta was receiving widespread criticism following the news of American tourist Andrea Prudente needing to be airlifted to Mallorca to receive a life-saving abortion, after being denied one in Malta.
Hamilton said: “We are so excited to bring Blanket Ban to the Southwark Playhouse. This is such an important topic, and although the play addresses Maltese laws, it is relevant here in Britain too, where we are are seeing a growing anti-choice movement-with large numbers of protestors harassing pregnant people outside abortion clinics and more Britons than ever being investigated by police over illegal abortion.”
Vella added: “We are thrilled to bring Maltese stories to a London audience. This is more than just a play, it’s a cautionary tale and a call to action. Abortion rights are not to be taken for granted, they can be taken away at any time.”
Blanket Ban runs at The Southwark Playhouse from 25 April to 20 May. Tickets can be found on the Southwark Playhouse’s website.
Words By Jo Elliott
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