Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Heidi Schreck & More Join WOMEN+ ON THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY Initiative
Kimber Lee, Moira Buffini, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Haruna Lee and dozens of acclaimed playwrights join the international initiative.
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The Flynn will partner with The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize to present Women+ on the Edge of Democracy. Initiated by the Flynn, an artistic catalyst in Burlington for nearly 100 years, this groundbreaking cultural and civic initiative commissions 36 prominent women+ playwrights, and counting, from around the world to write ten-minute plays or monologues in response to these urgent questions: What is the current state of democracy in America? What can history, global context, or futurism offer us in this pivotal moment?
Approaching fifty years, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the largest and oldest international playwriting prize recognizing and celebrating women+ playwrights writing for the English-speaking theater. The 36 commissioned playwrights currently include Jane Anderson, Leslie Ayvazian, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Moira Buffini, Lucy Caldwell, Bridget Carpenter, Paula Cizmar, Migdalia Cruz, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, Elizabeth Diggs, Hannah Doran, Stella Feehily, Lauren M. Gunderson, Zinnie Harris, Justice Hehir, Beth Henley, Elizabeth Kuti, Haruna Lee, Kimber Lee, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Lisa Loomer, Sarah Mantell, Deb Margolin, Ellen McLaughlin, Susan Miller, Rona Munro, Lynn Nottage, Ife Olujobi, Dael Orlandersmith, a.k. payne, Heather Raffo, Sarah Ruhl, Heidi Schreck, Jenny Schwartz, Judith Thompson, and Else Went.
Dramaturgs for the project include Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Sarah Mantell, Amrita Ramanan, Zeina Salame, and Jenny Worton.
Building on the Flynn's deep commitment to presenting art in public spaces and recognizing theatre as a space for conversation, the marathon world premiere of all the plays commissioned through Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will take place in a live performance at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont in October 2026. Date, timing, and ticket information will be announced soon.
As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, the Flynn will also publish the complete collection of plays as an anthology – free to perform – inviting artists, community groups, and citizens across the country to stage readings and performances between October 23 and November 3, ahead of the U.S. Midterm Elections. The anthology will be available for purchase in September with rights waived for individuals and non-profit organizations who would like to present the plays free of charge to the public. Organizations and individuals wishing to participate can sign up at www.democracy.flynnvt.org.
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy sets out to form a collective portrait of a nation in doubt and transformation – seen through the eyes of women+ playwrights from around the world who have long chronicled America's contradictions and dreams. The commission welcomes work from across the political spectrum. Through comedy and tragedy, rage and tenderness, hope and fear, these writers will map a picture of America today – revealing how democracy feels to those who have spent their lives giving voice to the unseen and unheard.
Jay Wahl, Executive Director of the Flynn, said, “We are living through a defining moment for American democracy, and artists are essential in times like these, helping us make sense of history as we're living through it. Women+ on the Edge of Democracy gathers some of the most insightful playwrights of our time to witness, question, and illuminate this pivotal chapter in American civic life. Democracy depends on shared public space: the places where we gather and the conversations we're willing to have with one another. In the spirit of Vermont's state motto, 'Freedom and Unity,' the Flynn is proud to make these plays available freely to communities across the country, creating opportunities for people to come together, reflect, and engage.”
Leslie Swackhamer, Executive Director of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, said, “Susan Smith Blackburn believed that our society needed more influence from talented women - that our stages, our stories, and our civic life were poorer without their voices at the center. Theater has always been one of the few places where democracy can actually happen: strangers gather in a room, sit with an idea together, and leave changed by it. The writers joining us for this project are being asked the most vital question of our time - what is the state of democracy in America? - and I have no doubt their answers will inspire all of us to sit with that question ourselves.”
This project is accompanied by original artwork created by Paula Scher/Pentagram.
