i wrote a play!!!!

when i found out that a draft of the supreme court’s decision to overturn roe v. wade had been leaked, i was throwing a dinner party.

i did not handle the news well.

how could i? in the blink of an eye, my bodily autonomy, and the autonomy of every other uterus-owner in america, was thrown into question. i, and so many others in the room, were suddenly struck powerless. no amount of homemade carbonara or $6 wine could soften that blow.

i just wished more than anything that there was something i could do. if i were braver, dumber, more desperate, less selfish, what would i try? what kind of actions would i take to ensure the safety and freedom of others?

“we should drive to the supreme court and show them who’s boss,” i commented over my third glass of pinot grigio before immediately grabbing my cellphone and elaborating into the microphone, “just kidding. FBI, if you’re listening, i’m kidding!”

“i’d watch that play,” my friend lauren laughed.

so i wrote it!

girls just wanna commit domestic terrorism follows skylar, bria, yarrow, and heidi: four friends on a road trip across the country with a plan to commit an unspecified act of - you guessed it - domestic terrorism. while the group starts the trip as a cohesive, justice-seeking unit, over the course of many hours in the car, their dynamic shifts into a fractured mess of feelings and friendship as secrets and past trauma come to the surface.

i know that sounds pretty intense. and, you know, it is, a little! but most importantly, it’s quite silly. my process began with writing a petty argument between the four about the artistic merit of rap group BROCKHAMPTON, and it only got sillier from there. it was important to me that the play reflect my personal aesthetic as a theatre maker: injecting humor into poignant, high-stakes, political narratives. by capturing the energy of strong personalities and voices clashing in a crowded space, i felt empowered to tackle challenging topics without shying away, and certainly not without levity. i had a blast getting to know each character, differentiating their voices from one another and even disagreeing with them.

however, the most exciting part of my whole process was getting to hear my own words in the mouths of actors. i recently directed my play as a staged reading through the SMU student theatre board (aka SMUST) and cast four of my incredibly talented friends - margeaux scholz, kayla earl, lauren reeves, and vinita dixit - as the titular “girls”…. (although, and this is an important distinction, not all of the characters identify as women.)

working with friends gave me the benefit of genuine, unfiltered feedback, and the ability to add each cast member’s unique voice to the script. as someone who values creating in community above pretty much all else, collaboration is hugely important to me. it was so valuable to be able to ask my actors “how did that feel to say aloud? how would you say it instead?”

i changed moments and even entire story beats based on input from the cast about their lived experiences as socially feminized bodies in america. it was an experience that i will never forget, as a writer, as a director, and as a female-identifying artist.

to my extreme joy and gratitude, the play was incredibly well received! so many artists in the SMU theatre department that i respect were generous with positive feedback and constructive criticism, something that truly made the entire process more than worth it to me in the end. i can’t wait to continue working on the project with everything that i’ve learned… maybe keep an eye out for a short film adaptation sometime in the future :)

and hey, if you’re interested in reading my current draft, please don’t hesitate to reach out! it’s still a work in progress and any feedback is much appreciated.

peace,

LS

shot by Brady Bagwell