My senior year of high school, 45th became president. I remember that year as one filled with record-breaking anger. Omar Fernandez, the brilliant director that he is, talks about anger as a secondary emotion. For me, sadness and dread were what hid behind the anger. I felt hurt. I am still hurting.

I would not repeat being in high school again (who would?), but I do find myself revisiting that time again and again. My teenage years shaped me. They shaped my voice as a writer, my ethics and values, and even my philosophy around relationships.

This play is not explicitly about politics. And yet, politics affect so many facets of our lived experiences. It impacts what sort of sex education we receive, what our history books contain, our access to reproductive care, our ability to safely navigate our neighborhoods and streets without being racially profiled and detained. The same is true for these characters.

You might be wondering, is this a drama? Tricked you, it’s a comedy. A comedy about teenagers, about that wonderful/horrible time filled with changes (both internal and external). Turns out change can be difficult, but also potentially hilarious in hindsight.

I started Saving Myself in the fall of 2021. Unable to sleep one night, I wrote the first eight pages and sent them to a friend the very next morning. As I write this on October 3, it dawns on me that tomorrow will be the 4-year anniversary of its inception.

Being a writer is all too often a solitary endeavor. But luckily for me, I’ve had a lot of support with this story. I’m very grateful for every single person who has left their mark on these characters. (Now you’re part of that legacy too).