Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
WOMEN+ ON THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY Staged Readings to Premiere in Chicago
The event features readings of plays by Gunderson, Loomer, Orlandersmith, Ruhl, Nottage, and Schreck responding to urgent questions about American democracy.
By: Stephi Wild
American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, has announced an evening of staged readings of select plays from the groundbreaking initiative Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, created by the Flynn Center (Jay Wahl, Executive Director) and The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (Leslie Swackhamer, Executive Director), encouraging conversation throughout the country about American democracy. Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will be presented in Chicago on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 7pm via Zoom.
This groundbreaking cultural and civic initiative, created by The Flynn, an artistic catalyst in Burlington, VT, for nearly 100 years, commissioned 36 prominent women+ playwrights from around the world to write ten-minute plays or monologues in response to the urgent questions: What is the current state of democracy in America? What can history, global context, or futurism offer us in this pivotal moment?
The American Blues Theater event will feature readings of six of the short plays: Common Ground by Lauren M. Gunderson, Reasonable Suspicion by Lisa Loomer, Maya by Dael Orlandersmith, An Uplifting High School Graduation Speech by Sarah Ruhl, Attestation by Lynn Nottage, and Searching for Elsie Parrish by Heidi Schreck.
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy is free to the public and reservations are available online now. The Zoom link will be sent to registered patrons the day before the event.
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.
Gwendolyn Whiteside comments, 'American Blues Theater is honored to join the Flynn, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and theaters across the country for this national initiative on the eve of election day. Women+ on the Edge of Democracy brings together some of the world's most profound writers to reflect upon our nation at this moment in history. Sharing these timely, world premiere short plays with Chicago audiences will bring us together for a groundbreaking evening of theater and conversation.'
As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, the Flynn will publish the complete collection of plays as an anthology, inviting artists, community groups, and citizens across the country to staged 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 present the plays free of charge to the public. For more information: www.democracy.flynnvt.org.
Breaking Broadway alerts by text
Get the biggest stories sent straight to your phone.
More on American Blues Theater
Broadway news in your inbox
Weekly top stories - unsubscribe anytime.
Weekly top stories - unsubscribe anytime.
|
Adirondack Chair Circle Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater (10/22-12/06) |
|
Love Story: A Tribute to Taylor Swift Raue Center For The Arts (11/07-11/07) |
|
Million Dollar Quartet Stolp Island Theatre (10/07-1/03) |
|
The Christmas Carol Paramount Theatre (11/11-1/03) |
|
Blond Ambition: A Tribute to Madonna Raue Center For The Arts (11/07-11/07) |
|
When We Were Young and Unafraid Greenhouse Theater Center (11/12-11/29) |
|
for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf eta Creative Arts Foundation (11/08-11/29) |
|
Bach's Mass in B Minor Symphony Center (11/23-11/23) |
|
Marriott Theatre Reveals A 2027 Season of Showstopping Musicals and Beloved Stories Marriott Theatre (9/30-1/27) |
|
Next Fall St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey, Chicago (2/05-2/28) |