36 Playwrights Will Be Featured In WOMEN+ ON THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY at The Flynn Center in Vermont

The Flynn Center in Vermont will partner with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize to Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, a civic initiative commissioning 36 prominent women+ playwrights, and counting, from around the world to write ten-minute plays or monologues regarding the state of American democracy. 

The marathon world premiere of all the plays commissioned through Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will take place in a live performance at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont in October 2026. Date, timing, and ticket information will be announced soon. 

The Flynn will also publish the complete collection of plays as an anthology — free to perform — inviting artists, community groups, and citizens across the country to stage 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 would like to present the plays free of charge to the public. Organizations and individuals wishing to participate can sign up here. 

The 36 commissioned playwrights currently include Theatrely31 alum a.k. payne, 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, 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.