The Academy for the Visual & Performing Arts are proud to announce their presentation of select plays from Women+ On The Edge of Democracy, a groundbreaking initiative encouraging conversation about American democracy initiatied by the Flynn Center (Jay Wahl, Executive Director) in Vermont and The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (Leslie Swackhamer, Executive Director).
The Flynn, an artistic catalyst in Burlington for nearly 100 years, created this groundbreaking cultural and civic initiative which commissioned 36 prominent women+ playwrights from around the world to write ten-minute plays or monologues in response to these urgent questions: What is the current state of democracy in America? What can history, global context, or futurism offer us in this pivotal moment?
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.
This project is accompanied by original artwork created by Paula Scher/Pentagram.
The event is free to the public and will feature the following selected works from the anthology’s 36 playwrights:
Common Ground, by Lauren M. Gunderson
Churn, by Justice Hehir
Aggressively Soothing Whale Sounds, by Sarah Mantell
Because Who Knows?, by Deb Margolin
GRWM, 4th of July Edition, by Jenny Schwartz