The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize are bringing theater and civic engagement together with a new national initiative examining one of the most consequential questions facing the United States: What is the current state of American democracy?
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will commission 36 acclaimed women+ playwrights from around the world to write 10-minute plays or monologues responding to the political and social moment in America. The project aims to create a collective portrait of a nation experiencing doubt, transformation and uncertainty.
The initiative was announced July 21 by Jay Wahl, executive director of the Flynn, a performing arts center in Burlington, Vermont. It will culminate with a marathon world premiere of the commissioned works at the Flynn in October. Details about the performance date, timing and tickets will be announced later.
The project will then expand beyond Vermont. The Flynn plans to publish the complete collection as an anthology and make the works available for free performance by theaters, community organizations and other groups across the country.
Rights will be waived for individuals and nonprofit organizations presenting free public performances between October 23 and November 3, just ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. The anthology is scheduled to become available for purchase in September, while organizations and individuals interested in participating can register through the project’s website.
The 36 playwrights involved include prominent writers such as Jane Anderson, Moira Buffini, Lucy Caldwell, Lauren M. Gunderson, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Heidi Schreck, Judith Thompson and Dael Orlandersmith, among others.
Their work will approach democracy from a range of perspectives and artistic styles, with organizers welcoming voices from across the political spectrum. Comedy, tragedy, anger, tenderness, hope and fear will all be part of the project as writers consider what democracy means in contemporary America.
The initiative is also rooted in the belief that theater can create a space for people to encounter difficult ideas together.
Wahl said artists have an important role to play during defining moments in American history, while the project’s organizers emphasize the importance of shared public spaces where communities can gather and engage in conversation.
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, which is approaching its 50th anniversary, is the oldest and largest international playwriting prize recognizing women+ playwrights writing for English-speaking theater. The organization has honored more than 500 finalist plays since 1978, with past recipients including Annie Baker, Caryl Churchill, Katori Hall, Lynn Nottage, Paula Vogel and Wendy Wasserstein.
For nearly a century, the Flynn has served as a major performing arts institution in Vermont, presenting theater, jazz, dance and other forms of live performance. The organization also operates education programs and brings performances into public spaces throughout the state.
With Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, the Flynn and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize are expanding that mission nationally, using short-form theater to encourage communities to gather, listen and consider what democracy looks like—and feels like—in America today.