In Exit, Elizabeth Hope Williams lights up the stage as the vivacious and charming stripper/aspiring actress, Sweetheart. But who is the talent behind the high heels and flannel? T7 got some answers from this busy woman.
T7: What did you think when you first read the play?
EHW: When I first read this play, I thought, this is a good, innovative, telling, of a story that needs to be told, and with all of the best dark humor to go along with it. My heart felt engulfed, and I knew that I HAD to be a part of this production!
T7: What do you love about this play?
EHW: I love that it is a good, solid, NEW work! I love that it is funny and dark, goofy, and also incredibly pertinent. It challenges the audiences to think before they ask the question to : why doesn’t she just leave? This is a question that so many people ask of abuse victims, and I love the way in which this play addresses that concern.
T7:What part of Exit do you most connect with?
EHW: I connect with the hope that is woven throughout this play. One of the things that I have really latched on to in this play is that this is a story about the exception. So many women, so many people, are not able to get themselves out of abusive relationships because they have been made to feel worthless and disempowered, and this tells the story of a woman who does get out. I appreciate that gift of hope that this play gives; the idea that these exceptions can inspire and begin to become the norm.
T7: Why this play? Why now?
EHW: This story should be told now and for as long as domestic abuse (or any abuse between people in a relationship!) remains an issue in the world. Leaps and bounds have been made in bringing awareness to this issue, but these situations still exist. Because they often happen behind closed doors, and are scary issues to talk about, we need to open up the dialogue, and continue to talk about this subject. One thing that I love about this play is that because it uses humor to address the topic of domestic abuse, it creates a safe space to ease your way into the conversation and have your mind and heart explore the issue without being berated, or made to feel terrible about something that seems so sad and so scary and so hard to swallow at times. It really offers a safe space to absorb the danger of these situations.