The Turnaway Play by Lesley Greene

The Turnaway Play is a witty, moving, and timely look at what really happens when women are denied access to abortion. The play is inspired and informed by the groundbreaking Turnaway Study, which followed 1,000 women over ten years and reached the first definitive scientific conclusions about the consequences for women’s lives of either having or being denied abortions. The study was headed by the playwright’s...
The Turnaway Play is a witty, moving, and timely look at what really happens when women are denied access to abortion. The play is inspired and informed by the groundbreaking Turnaway Study, which followed 1,000 women over ten years and reached the first definitive scientific conclusions about the consequences for women’s lives of either having or being denied abortions. The study was headed by the playwright’s real-life sister, Diana Greene Foster, and the characters are based on study subjects and members of the research team. With honesty and humor, the play reaches beyond our polarizing political conversation to look deeply into one of the most important and urgent issues of our time.
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The Turnaway Play

Recommended by

  • Godfrey Simmons:
    30 Mar. 2023
    “ A trenchant and somehow funny documentary play about the most overlooked aspect of Roe v. Wade: the impact on women’s (and their children’s) lives when they are turned away from terminating an unwanted pregnancy. HartBeat’s reading was well received and an important tool in responding to the repeal. Out of the real-life Turnaway Study, Lesley creates well rounded characters, and honor the true stories of women from the study — all while doing it from of lens of joy. No trauma porn here, Not sure how to make a “hard-hitting” play with joy, but she did it. ”
  • Rachel Lampert:
    29 Mar. 2023
    “ With the focus on the right to choose, we don't always think about those denied the choice and the consequences over the long run. In The Turnaway Play, we meet women with no options but to bring their pregnancies to term. Their stories are told in their own words with brutal honesty. The characters are all compelling and come from a cross-section of the American landscape. I was intrigued by the various women in the study, the women gathering the data, and the lead researcher --- each of them bring their point of view, often unexpected. ”

Character Information

Doubling is as follows:

The actor who plays Luisa plays Sofia and Martina.
The actor who plays Serena plays Jada and Kiara.
The actor who plays Rhonda plays Amy and Brenda.

The play can also be done without doubling, bringing the cast size to ten.

  • Dr. Foster
    50,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Demographer and professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. 50 years old.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Luisa
    22,
    American Latina
    ,
    Female
    Mexican American woman from Texas, 22 years old. The newest member of the Turnaway Study team.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Serena
    late 20s - early 30s,
    African / African American / Black
    ,
    Female
    Black woman from North Carolina, late 20s-early 30s. She has worked as an interviewer for the Turnaway study for three years. Prior to that she worked as a counselor at an abortion clinic.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Rhonda
    mid 20s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    White woman from San Francisco, mid-20s. She has been working at the Turnaway Study for two years.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Sofia
    20,
    Latina
    ,
    Female
    Hispanic woman from California, was 19 years old and 26 weeks pregnant when she was denied an abortion. Played by the actor who plays LUISA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Martina
    23,
    Latina
    ,
    Female
    Hispanic woman from Arizona, was 22 years old and 9 weeks pregnant when she had an abortion. Played by the actor who plays LUISA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Kiara
    26,
    Black
    ,
    Female
    Black woman from Kentucky, was 26 years old and 13 weeks pregnant when she received had an abortion. Played by the actor who plays SERENA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Jada
    20,
    Black
    ,
    Female
    Black woman from Illinois, was 19 years old and 23 weeks pregnant when she had an abortion. Played by the actor who plays SERENA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Brenda
    25,
    White
    ,
    Female
    White woman from New York, was 24 years old and 24 weeks pregnant when she was denied an abortion. Played by the actor who plays RHONDA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Amy
    28,
    White
    ,
    Female
    White woman from Texas, was 28 years old and 6 weeks pregnant when she had an abortion. Played by the actor who plays RHONDA.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    ,
    2022
  • Workshop
    ,
    Story House Ithaca
    ,
    2022
  • Workshop
    ,
    Ithaca College Theatre Department
    ,
    2022

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Kitchen Theatre Company
    ,
    2024

Awards

Runner Up
,
A is For Playwriting Contest
,
A is For
,
2023