IN THE LEAD UP TO THE WORLD PREMIERE OF SALT, THE L&W BLOG WILL BE FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH THE CREATIVE WOMEN BEHIND THE PROJECT. OUR FIRST INSTALMENT IS WITH PLAYWRIGHT ERIN VANDENBERG. 

Salt playwright Erin Vandenberg was inspired by real-life events when she started writing the story of Vivian, an abusive alcoholic, who is ultimately confronted by her daughters Lilias and Petal:

I first noticed a headline from a news story similar to the play’s story. It didn’t have a lot of details about the girls involved, as they were young offenders and protected, but I wasn’t shocked by their crime. Unfortunately, it felt like a thing that could happen under certain circumstances. Circumstances that are far more ordinary than maybe we care to admit. And there were a lot of similar issues in my own family to a degree, and I suspect in a lot of families.