Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is set to publish Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, a new anthology featuring more than 30 plays and monologues by acclaimed women+ playwrights from around the world. The collection examines the state of democracy in America through theater, bringing together writers whose work explores the country’s history, contradictions, challenges and possibilities.
The initiative was launched by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vermont, in partnership with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. The project comes as the United States approaches its 2026 midterm elections and marks the country’s semiquincentennial year.
The commissioned works ask questions about the current state of American democracy and consider what history, global perspectives and futurism might reveal about the nation’s present moment. The collection brings together playwrights across a range of perspectives and uses comedy, tragedy, anger, tenderness, hope and uncertainty to explore how democracy is experienced by different communities.
TCG plans to publish the anthology on November 3, 2026, with pre-orders beginning in September. Theaters presenting readings or performances of the works this fall will receive advance digital copies. Performance rights will also be waived for nonprofit organizations that present any of the plays free to the public between October 23 and November 3.
“Theatre has always given us a space to wrestle with the most urgent questions of our time,” said Alisha Tonsic, Co-Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group. “Women+ on the Edge of Democracy brings together an extraordinary group of playwrights doing exactly that.”
The project has attracted participation from theaters and arts organizations across the country. tiny_Theater in Birmingham, Alabama, MOXIE Theatre in San Diego and organizations in Syracuse, New York, are among those planning readings and performances.
The Flynn will host a marathon world premiere of Women+ on the Edge of Democracy in Burlington in October, with additional details to be announced.
The anthology features the work of more than three dozen playwrights, including Jane Anderson, Moira Buffini, Lucy Caldwell, Lauren M. Gunderson, Lynn Nottage, Dael Orlandersmith, Sarah Ruhl, Heidi Schreck and Judith Thompson.
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, which is approaching its 50th anniversary, is an international playwriting prize recognizing women+ playwrights writing for the English-speaking theater.
With performances planned nationwide, Women+ on the Edge of Democracy aims to create opportunities for audiences to encounter new theatrical works while engaging in conversations about democracy, citizenship, history and the future of American society.