On Friday, September 13th, the play Abortion Weekend was shown at the Gryphon Theatre. The play was written by Mareshah Dupree and Jairis Carter, and is a look into the struggles of two black college students and their families – and the two’s quest to induce a miscarriage via a weekend of binge drinking and getting high. While the show was not put on by the UW Theatre Department, it was widely advertised there with many audience members being theater majors or directly involved with the department.
The play opens with a dialogue between Ayanna (Mareshah Dupree) and her elderly grandmother with dementia, talking about Ayanna’s future. It then swiftly carries into Ayanna’s description of her first weeks at college – and her meeting of her best friend, Dazia (Jairis Carter). As time goes on, it is revealed that Dazia is pregnant, and Ayanna suggests a weekend of fun debauchery in order to induce a miscarriage, including getting blackout drunk, high, ingesting a concoction of several herbs and medications known to cause miscarriages, and even going on a roller coaster. The story then follows the events of this weekend and explores the two’s best friend’s real feelings for each other.
The majority of the audience was roused by the play, with the two creators receiving a standing ovation at the end of it. The play was also attended by Pro-Choice Wyoming, who described the show as being excellent, and something that will be looked upon favorably in the future. Students from the University also gave their thoughts on the play. When asked whether or not the play was controversial, and would be remembered in 100 years, one student said “Elvis was controversial in his time, but we all listen to and love his music now, don’t we?” Another audience member was quoted as saying, “I think the play was intentionally controversial, but that’s a good thing. Sometimes things need to be controversial in order to get their message out to people.”
The play was not universally well received, however. One playgoer, who chose to remain anonymous, called the play “Modernist drivel, mundane in every way except its subject matter.” When asked if the play would be remembered in 100 years, or was controversial, he stated, “No, this play won’t be remembered within the next 10. It takes advantage of our polarized political climate to achieve a very narrow message, it doesn’t have the artistic integrity to be remembered as anything more than a political hit-piece against people who the creators disagree with. Of course it was designed to be controversial, that’s the only notable thing about it.” Another audience member stated that, “Even for many of us who are pro-choice, this was in bad taste. My mom had an abortion and it was one of the hardest things she had to go through, this isn’t something we should be making light of.”
When asked themselves, creator Jairis Carter said that the play “Wasn’t designed to be controversial, but some people may interpret it that way.” When asked if they thought the play would be remembered in the future, the creator compared it to Oedipus Rex, stating that while that show was also controversial, it went on to be recognized as one of the greatest plays of all time.
Abortion Weekend certainly left a lasting impression on Laramie playgoers, whether good or bad. Hopefully the inclusion of more controversial plays in Laramie will create an even more vibrant atmosphere for the performing arts in our small town and encourage small creators to be bold with their works. The fact that people, both pro-life and pro-choice chose to see the play without causing a fuss, shows us that controversial political topics don’t always have to result in a shouting match. Abortion Weekend’s audience reactions may provide us a window into our ever-changing political landscape, and how we can work out our disagreements on various issues in a solid and constructive manner.
