The Story
In Grounded, a female fighter pilot is transferred to drone duty after she has a child. From a windowless trailer in Nevada, she hunts down terrorists by day and returns to her family at night. But pressure to kill a “high value target” blurs the difference between the desert she commutes on and the one she scans through her computer screens, and the stress impacts her performance.
Grounded premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013. It won several awards including Top 10 London Play, the Smith Award, and the Lucille Lortel Award. It was produced on Broadway in 2017.
“Grounded is a heartbreaking, beautiful, necessary and perfectly-structured solo drama … an essential story for our times.” – The Scotsman
“Gripping…presents a convincing portrait” – The New York Times
"As close to perfection as is possible to imagine...Grounded is a powerful, hallucinogenic experience." -What's On Stage
“Critic’s Pick. A scorching sharp-eyed, timely script…lets no one off easy…clap all you want at the end of the play—and you’ll want to clap a lot—but the game stays with you” – Time Out New York
“Thought provoking, thoroughly engrossing…pulses with the rhythms of an epic war poem” - TheatreMania
Katy Wright
Taking the role of The Pilot in Grounded is Katy Wright, one of Helena’s leading actors. She has appeared on the stage at Grandstreet Theatre, Improv Mining Co., Helena Theatre Company, and with the Helena Symphony. Katy brings a wealth of experience, along with her personal connection to military servicewomen.
Grounded was presented in collaboration with Merlin CCC.
Merlin is Helena-based public philosophy non-profit dedicated to strengthening the community through philosophy.
Merlin conducted community discussions related to the topics raised by Grounded. You can view those discussions in their symposia archive.
Helena Civic TV recorded this video of Merlin founder Marisa Diaz-Waian interviewing Grounded director Ross Peter Nelson.