Theatre Communications Group to Publish WOMEN+ ON THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY Anthology
Nonprofit theaters nationwide can stage free readings as part of the Flynn Center-led initiative.
Theatre Communications Group will publish Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, an anthology of more than thirty plays from prominent women+ playwrights commissioned as a reflection on the state of democracy in America during the country's semiquincentennial year.
In partnership with The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (Leslie Swackhamer, Executive Director), these short plays and monologues from Pulitzer, Tony and Emmy Award winners to Olivier and Oscar nominees respond to the questions: What is the current state of democracy in America? What can history, global context, or futurism offer us in this pivotal moment?
The anthology will be available for pre-order in September ahead of its publication date of November 3, 2026. Advance digital copies of the plays will also be provided to theaters presenting a reading or performance of Women+ on the Edge of Democracy this fall. Performance rights will be waived for all nonprofit organizations across the country who stage any of the plays free of charge to the public between October 23-November 3, ahead of the U.S. Midterm Elections.
'Theatre has always given us a space to wrestle with the most urgent questions of our time, and Women+ on the Edge of Democracy brings together an extraordinary group of playwrights doing exactly that,' said Alisha Tonsic, Co-Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group. 'TCG is proud to collaborate on the publication of this collection and ensure these works reach theatres and communities across the country at a moment when civic gathering, questioning, and imagining together feel especially vital.'
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.
Theaters and organizations nationwide are signing on to be part of the Women+ movement:
Rachel Burttram (she/her) of tiny_Theater (Birmingham, Alabama) said, 'Theater and democracy share the exact same root: they both began when citizens gathered in a semi-circle to listen to opposing viewpoints and seek a shared truth. In homes across Birmingham, we're honoring that ancient tradition. By offering a welcome, a reading, and an opportunity for discussion over food, tiny_Theatre is creating intimate spaces to contemplate, consider, and really listen to the person sitting next to us. In partnership with our local collaborators, we are proud to produce all thirty-six plays right here in Alabama, rebuilding our civic fabric one living room at a time.'
Desireé Clarke Miller (she/her), Executive Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre (San Diego, California) said, 'MOXIE Theatre is organizing the reading of the entire anthology across San Diego County because these plays land in the twelve days before a midterm election and that timing isn't decoration, it's the point. People keep asking why we're being so audacious about it, and I'd turn the question around: what would a proportionate response look like? I've spent much of my career creating spaces where women+ voices are the center of the story, not the footnote. This is that work with the volume all the way up. Democracy is a practice, not a possession, and it only survives in rooms where people show up for each other. So we're building as many of those rooms as we can.'
Melissa Crespo (she/her), Associate Artistic Director of Syracuse Stage (Syracuse, New York) said, 'The Women+ on the Edge of Democracy initiative immediately spoke to us because it creates a space for artists and community members to come together and consider what democracy means in our lives today. As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, there is no better time to engage in those conversations. Syracuse Stage, Redhouse Arts Center, Breadcrumbs Productions, and Syracuse University's Department of Drama are proud to partner on this initiative and to celebrate not only the privilege of democracy, but the responsibility we share in sustaining it. Where better for citizens to gather, reflect, and engage in a free society than the theatre?'
The marathon world premiere of Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will take place at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont in October, with more information to be announced soon.
