54 Organizations Join “WOMEN+ ON THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY” to Stage New Plays

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The Flynn Center and The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize will present free readings and performances of new works addressing democracy in America.

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You can now see the current list of 54 unique theaters and organizations - spread across 30 different states and representing nearly two-thirds of the United States - who are confirmed to host a reading or performance of Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, in partnership with The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize ( Leslie Swackhamer , Executive Director).

With participants spanning the geographical and political spectrum, Women+ on the Edge of Democracy aims to bring people together and spark conversation ahead of the midterm elections on November 3 in a nationwide act of listening.

Intended to reach community gatherings of every size, the confirmed organizations in this growing movement include professional theaters, university drama departments and history classes, retirement communities, libraries, book clubs, dinner party-style readings hosted by independent artists, community theater troupes, and more. An interactive map of the participants is available online.

tiny_Theatre

Perseverance Theatre With Love, Alaska

The Moxie with partner organizations around San Diego University of Southern California: Visions and Voices, Arts in Action, and Institute for Theatre and Social Change (Unofficial) Obama Alumni in Los Angeles

Athena Project Arts

The Ensemble Company

The Alliance Theater

American Blues Theater Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre A group of organizers in Chicago

Shades of Orange

Salon-style reading event at Maceli's Lounge organized by Theresa Buchheister and Jane Barnette, with a lot of help from our friends.

Centre College A classroom in Eastern Kentucky

Mount Holyoke College Shakespeare & Company

Twin Cities Theatres, including: Frank Theatre, Full Circle Theatre, Mixed Blood, Prime Productions, Sod House, Ten Thousand Things, Theatre in the Round Players, The Capri A group of community members in the Twin Cities Southwest Minnesota State University, Entertainment & Theatre Arts Program

New Stage Theater

Vivid Stage Vivia Font

A collection of theater makers connected with a variety of organizations in Albuquerque Helen Rynaski in Taos, New Mexico

Alleyway Theatre Dixon Place (presented by Miranda Jackel) Syracuse Stage + Redhouse Arts Center + Breadcrumbs Productions + Department of Drama at Syracuse University Professional Children's School SUNY Brockport Department of Theatre & Music Studies A group of organizers in NYC

Wake Forest University, Department of Theatre and Dance and Anthony Aston Players

Broadview Heights Spotlights Ohio University School of Theater

OKC Rep Theater

100 Lives Repertory

Carpenters' Hall and Theatre Exile

WomensWork Theatre Collaborative

Augustana University Theatre Department

Rec Room Arts (Happy Hour Readings) Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M University

The Flynn Dream Stages Middlebury College and Town Hall Theater First Congregational Church of St. Albans

Shenandoah University-Shenandoah Conservatory BFA Acting Program Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Theatre and Dance

SIS Productions Union Arts Center ACT Theater / Seattle Shakes

The Alphabet Cookout

Contemporary American Theater Festival

Forward Theater Company Speck of Dust Theatre Company

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.

In a celebration of free speech and accessibility, performance rights to the Women+ collection of plays 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.

Step 1: Sign up to participate, or to receive more information, at democracy.flynnvt.org.

Step 2: The plays will be published in anthology form by Theatre Communications Group on November 3, with pre-orders available in September and advance digital copies provided to anyone presenting a reading or performance between October 23 and November 3, 2026. Theaters and organizations can choose one play, several, or all of them.

Step 3: Between October 23 and November 3, bring people together to read or hear the plays and talk about the questions they raise. Gatherings can be a few friends around a table, a classroom discussion, a community reading, or a professional theater performance.

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 commissioned playwrights 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 .

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/vermont/article/54-Theaters-and-Organizations-to-Participate-in-WOMEN-ON-THE-EDGE-OF-DEMOCRACY-20260916)._