About
The Arts create space for people to practice the habits that democracy requires.
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy was initiated and created by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, one of New England’s most impactful arts organizations.
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has long recognized visionary women+ playwrights writing for the stage—artists whose voices have defined generations of contemporary theater.
In this project, these playwrights have been invited to write a 10-minute play or monologue in response to the following urgent questions:
What is the current state of democracy in America from a national and international perspective?
What can history, global context, or futurism offer us in this pivotal moment?
Our goal is that these short plays will form a collective lens on a nation in doubt and transformation, seen through the eyes of women+ who have long chronicled contradictions and dreams of the world we inhabit. We have invited plays from a broad political spectrum.
To be published as an anthology and envisioned for performance, Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will invite readers, audiences, and citizens alike to confront questions that define our moment.
This landmark collaboration by 36 of the most influential women+ in contemporary theater will be at once a work of art, an international reckoning, and an act of radical witness.
A marathon world premiere of all the plays commissioned through Women+ on the Edge of Democracy will take place in a live performance on stage at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont, on October 23 & 24, 2026 with exact timing and ticket information announced soon.
“Women+ on the Edge of Democracy gathers some of the most insightful playwrights of our time to witness, question, and illuminate our current chapter in American civic life. In the spirit of Vermont’s state motto, ‘Freedom and Unity,’ the Flynn is proud to make these plays available freely to communities across the country, creating opportunities for people to come together, reflect, and engage. ”
The Flynn
The Flynn invites everyone to imagine, create, and connect through the power of live performance.
Located in Burlington, VT, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts invites everyone to imagine, create, and connect through the power of live performance. An acclaimed theater and performance center since 1930, the Flynn presents a broad array of artistic forms that reach 1 in 4 Vermonters annually. The Flynn’s facilities include a 1,439-seat Main Stage theater, Flynn Space (a black-box performance venue), education and dance studios, and a visual art gallery. Throughout its 30+ years as a nonprofit organization, the Flynn has earned a national reputation for presenting theater, jazz, and dance — performances that were previously rare in a small, rural state. Today, The Flynn is also a statewide leader in performing arts education, presenting art in public spaces, and producing innovative works that open new ways of seeing, dreaming, and being.
Through bold, accessible, and expansive programming, the Flynn is continually pushing beyond the bounds of its physical spaces, taking performances into parks, outdoor marketplaces, schools, and farms across Vermont – engaging, challenging, and re-imaging what the performing arts can look like. Guest curators have helped to bring new perspectives to performance series, and partnerships with nonprofits and other arts organizations have further expanded community impact.
In the 2025/26 season, the Flynn hosted 148,000 people at 259 performances and events, including on the mainstage, at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, and in education programming, free community events, and Student Matinee shows. The Flynn is a cultural anchor for Vermont, presenting diverse, high-quality artistic experiences that celebrate global perspectives, elevate local voices, and invite the entire community to take part in the transformative power of live performance.
“Susan believed that society urgently needed more influence from talented women, and she encouraged many women to excel.”
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the oldest and largest international playwriting prize honoring women+ writing for the English-speaking theater.
Established in 1978, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize currently awards $70,000 annually to 10 playwrights: Winner $25,000, and other Finalists $5,000. At the discretion of the Judges there may be an additional Special Commendation $10,000. The Winner receives a signed and numbered Willem de Kooning print made especially for the award.
About Susan Smith Blackburn
The Prize is intended both as a personal tribute to Susan, who died in 1977, and as an embodiment of values she believed in and devoted so much of her life to. She had a gift for writing and a lifelong love of the theatre. After appearing in productions at the Alley Theatre and Little Theatre in Houston, where she grew up, and at Smith College, she studied acting with Uta Hagen and played several leading roles in New York. When she moved to London, she gave drama classes to children while also working as a journalist. Susan believed that society urgently needed more influence from talented women, and she encouraged many women to excel. It is the purpose of the Prize to perpetuate the high standards, the creativity and the vitality that were integral to Susan’s life.