WRITING THE DUALITY OF A CON - BY LISA LANGFORD

Jen Silverman’s play, Witch, had a lot to do with why I wrote Con. Witch is an elegant, 14-scene play about selling your soul to the devil and, more broadly, whether or not the world is worth saving. It’s the kind of left-leaning, liberal play that feels good during a Trump administration, though Silverman says little that’s overtly political. I played the titular character in Dobama’s production, and my castmates were all so incredibly talented, they were each rehearsing other shows when Witch closed. I felt like a slacker. So, I started writing a play inspired by Witch’s structure and style. 

While searching for something to write about, I distracted myself with Twitter (I will never call it X). I scrolled and scrolled, watching clip after clip of Republicans dominating the discourse and drowning out the Democrats, who offered little more than mealy-mouthed nuance as defense. Why couldn’t the liberals win? Why did they have to be thoughtful and polite, so focus-grouped and poll-numbered? Why couldn’t they just molly-whop the conservatives?! 

I started studying conservative talking heads. Tucker. Megan. Candace. I was surprised Candace and I had a few things in common: a special connection to our grandfathers, a suburban upbringing. And Candace had it. The thing that made Oprah Oprah and not Bertice Berry (no shade to Bertice). I was intrigued. Why was Candace like that? What could make a woman—a Black woman at that!—so conservative? In her book, Black Out, Candace recounts a racial incident that happened to her in high school. It became a huge deal, making the papers and the evening news, and eventually the NAACP showed up. She felt the legendary civil rights group turned her into a cause and forgot about her as a person. Perhaps that is when she started leaning right. In 2019, she met and married her British husband in just 18 days. I watched her interview him and the two looked like they had the most delicious secret. I was obsessed and decided I’d write about a politically ambitious, Candace-like podcaster. 

I made it a two-hander because theatres love small casts. Once, I saw a show at Steppenwolf in Chicago that seemed to have a cast of thousands. At the curtain call, I was surprised to see just four people on stage. And there’s something virtuosic about two talented actors playing four distinct characters. At least I think so. I thought doubling Constance and Essence might be energizing for the actress playing her and a metaphor for the “double consciousness” inherent in African American life. Trent and Harvey are also shadow selves to a lesser extent, or they will be when I fix Trent, who I think is named Tom. What will I fix? I bet I’ll know after this SotP Salon Series reading!

Get your tickets to the Salon Series reading of CON by Lisa Langford in Cleveland and Canton on September 12! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/salon-series-1b-con-by-lisa-langford-tickets-1998793598459