WINNER:
New Diorama and Underbelly Untapped Award 2022
Chalk Line presents
Blanket Ban
Written by Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella
"It makes theatre seem essential when it so often doesn't." Lyn Gardner, Stage Door
​
“Sometimes I’m afraid of this play.”
Malta: Catholic kitsch, golden sun, deep blue sea, Eurovision - and a blanket ban on abortion.
Propelled by three years’ of interviews with anonymous contributors and their own lived experience, actors and activists Marta and Davinia interrogate Malta’s restrictions on the freedom of women.
What does it mean for your country to implement trailblazing social justice laws, but have some of the world’s strictest abortion laws?
​
A rallying cry from award-winning Chalk Line Theatre.
Supported By: Abortion Support Network, Break The Taboo Malta, The Women's Rights Foundation, Abortion Rights, The New Diorama, Underbelly, Methuen Drama, Borkowski, artsdepot and Artsadmin
Image by Guy Sanders
Blanket Ban is a devised docu-play interrogating the blanket ban on abortion in Malta; the piece presents an accurate depiction of Maltese women’s experiences through interviews, verbatim, innovative use of technology, and a fondly critical look at the island state, with its unique brand of Catholic kitsch, modern aspirations and established lore.
★★★★★ "Hard-hitting, and painfully eye-opening" Theatre Weekly
​
★★★★★ "A heart-shatteringly brilliant piece of theatre" SkinnyMagazine
​
★★★★★ "Theatre such as this is rare" MickeyJoTheatre
​
★★★★ 'This is a theatre birthed out of exasperation, and you leave fired up to fight for women’s rights to their own bodies both locally and further afield.' Time Out
​
★★★★ Effortlessly treading the line between buoyant and sombre" The Guardian
​
★★★★ "It seems impossible to leave Blanket Ban without a sense of the great peril of the lack of abortion access in Malta – and of course, across the western world" WhatsOnStage
​
★★★★ "Blanket Ban is Fringe theatre at its best...a fast-paced, punchy and powerful production" Wee Review
​
★★★★ "A heart-shattering and engaging play that inspires all of us to stand up and inspire change." Broadway World
​
★★★★ "This piece is a compelling case for reproductive rights across the world." Reviews Hub
​
★★★★ “This impassioned show is a powerful, humorous and poignant exploration of Malta’s nationwide ban on abortion.” Three Weeks
​
MUST SEE SHOW - Fringe Review
​
"A triumph" The National, Steph Brawn
Devised and Commissioned by Chalk Line Theatre in collaboration with Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella.
Previous Dates:
Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022
New Diorama 2022
​
Creative Team 2023
Performed & Written by Davinia Hamilton & Marta Vella
Directed by Sam Edmunds & Vikesh Godhwani
Produced by Chalk Line Theatre
Designer Isabella Van Braeckel
Dramaturg Stephanie Dale
Associate Producer Natalie Chan
Video Designer Tom Fitch
Lighting Designer Holly Ellis
Stage Manager Sophie Vera Mclean
​
Creative Team 2022
Performed & Written by Davinia Hamilton & Marta Vella
Directed by Sam Edmunds & Vikesh Godhwani
Produced by Chalk Line Theatre
Assistant Producer & Understudy Sandie von Brockdorff
Designer Cara Evans
Research and Development (Artsadmin 2020- artsdepot 2021)
Cast Davinia Hamilton & Marta Vella
Directed by Sam Edmunds & Vikesh Godhwani
Produced by Chalk Line Theatre
Assistant Producer Katy Galloway
Associate Designer Becca White
Video Designer Amelia Kosminsky
