3 Questions

Grounded tells the harrowing tale of an ace fighter pilot stuck in what she calls "the Chair force" after becoming pregnant. The intimate staging, dubbed by The New York Times as "gripping," gets the Santa Fe treatment starting on Friday at the Lannan Foundation's Meeting House. George Brant is its award-winning playwright.

What compelled you to write Grounded?
I was drawn to the drone subject a few years ago, curious about how they operated, their increasing use and the moral questions they raised. I wasn't intending to write about the pilots of the planes, but I ended up intrigued by their story, particularly by the mental challenge presented by this new method of waging war. It wasn't until I imagined the Pilot as female that the play began to form in my mind. Initially, I thought the play would be a more conventional one with a number of characters, but the story sparks didn't start to fly until I considered the play as a solo female voice.

Who inspired your main character?
The character is inspired by a number of real-life women fighter pilots, particularly Jackie Parker, for her unapologetic and impressive nature, and Stephanie Kelsen, who posed, as the character does, for a portrait while pregnant and in a flight suit.

Grounded has been staged everywhere, from San Francisco to London. Any expectations for the Santa Fe show?
I'm very excited for the Santa Fe production, having heard nothing but great things about Theaterwork and Vanessa Rios y Valles. I'm hoping to catch the production later in its run.

Santa Fe Reporter