Campaigns
Stop The Blanket Ban On Abortion
“It’s good to see a young company making committed, essential theatre and in the process proving that they have many talents that they and theatre can use in different ways and for different purposes. It makes theatre seem essential when it so often doesn’t.” - Lyn Gardner Stagedoor
The Project:
Propelled by three years of interviews with anonymous contributors and their own lived experience, actors and activists Marta Vella and Davinia Hamilton interrogate Malta’s restrictions on the freedom of women.
Commissioned by Chalk Line the piece went through three years of development with the writers based on real interviews, case studies, and research.
We worked in partnership with multiple charity partners including Abortion Support Network, Abortion Rights, Women's Rights Foundation, Break The Taboo Malta, Women On Web, Doctors for Choice UK, and Dear Decision Makers.
Alongside the show we ran a call to action to raise money for Women On Web and the Abortion Support Network, as well as partnering with Abortion Rights to raise awareness of their work, with a representative from their organisation present after every show to provide with more information and support.
The show has now been watched by over 2500 audience members in the UK, bringing this story to the forefront.
Apart from highlighting the issue of abortion in Malta and the dangers of complaceny to the issue in the UK, the production also showcased the culture, history and beauty of Malta to an international audience. This is unprecedented on a UK stage and a show like Blanket Ban did wonders for Maltese representation, ultimately receiving plenty of coverage through our PR, Mobius Industries, who in their post-show report estimated 360,000 audience members on national press during our London run alone.
"Its political content feels current, responsive and self-aware {...} Despite Malta only being a tiny country, last year it had 424 packs of abortion pills illegally sent in. ‘Blanket Ban’ proves that banning abortion does not stop it happening, it just drives it, dangerously ‘underground’. 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." Anya Ryan (Time Out)
Taking The Show To Malta:
A core part of our campaign was taking this show to Malta and performing it in front of what could have been a hostile environment. Blanket Ban, was staged at Spazju Kreattiv, Malta in 2025.
“Malta’s abortion ban silences women, but their stories matter. This play is about giving them a platform. We invite audiences to come with an open heart and be part of this dialogue.” - Davinia Hamilton on about bringing the show to Malta. (Lovin Malta)
The play was received incredibly well by local audiences, resulting in the show selling out all of our 6 performances. The show added to the conversation and raised awareness around Malta's abortion ban, not just through the performances watched by 650 people, but also through the many thousands who followed the press around the show on local media outlets including The Times of Malta, Lovin Malta, Guide Me Malta and many more.
The show was called "thought-provoking and beautiful" by the Times of Malta and "undeniably impactful" by Kritikarti.
Writers/performers Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella also went on Trudy Kerr's podcast: The She Word to discuss the abortion ban in Malta and the process of making the show which was watched by over 3000 people.
Apart from just watching the show, many stayed back for our post-show Q&As on both nights, with audiences feeling empowered to share their own personal stories. This shows that there is a thirst for having these conversations; a shift from how taboo it was up to a few years ago.
There certainly is demand for future performances of Blanket Ban or for it to be used as a filmed resource in educational settings.
Moreover, the My Voice, My Choice campaign benefitted from signatures following every one of our performances. During the post-show Q&A with the different activists, audiences got to ask questions and gain further awareness of what was going on in Malta, amplifying voices that might sometimes be shut down.
Our Women’s Day Panel on Reproductive Rights included activists Prof Isabel Stabile, Dr Andrea Dibben, Dr Lara Dimitrijevic and Francesca Fenech Conti and was chaired by Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella.
Our closing weekend panel with the creative team was on Making Political Theatre chaired by editor of The Times of Malta, Herman Grech.
Blanket Ban won an honorary Premju Ghall-Arti awarded by Arts Council Malta for Best Social Cause, further emphasising its impact on the conversation in Malta.
Although conversation surrounding the laws in Malta have begun, there is still a very very long way to go.
Please consider donating here:
https://abortionrights.org.uk/donate/
Or join the movement:
https://www.myvoice-mychoice.org/our-movement