The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law (“Brennan Center”) and the Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing at the Tisch School of the Arts (“Tisch”) request proposals for a new play commission about the state of American democracy. Special consideration will be given to projects that address at least one of the following topics: Supreme Court dysfunction and reform, gerrymandering, voter suppression, abuse of presidential power, criminal justice reform, the influence of money in politics, and threats to elections and election officials. We invite playwrights to explore the Brennan Center’s website to learn more about these issues and the organization’s approach to reform.
All proposals that meet the submission criteria will be evaluated by a committee of experts from the Brennan Center and Tisch. The committee will choose three finalists, each of whom will receive a commission of $10,000 to complete their proposed project by March 1, 2026 (subject to the completion of a customary commission agreement between the playwright and the Brennan Center and Tisch). The three selected playwrights will be able to consult Brennan Center experts in the relevant field to deepen their understanding of challenges facing U.S. democracy, and Tisch will facilitate a table read with a director and professional actors during the writing process to help develop their scripts. The committee will select one of the three completed scripts for a rehearsed public reading in 2026, with the specifics to be determined by the Brennan Center and Tisch, in consultation with the winning playwright.
The proposal should outline the project you intend to create if you receive the commission and should not be longer than three pages. The evaluators are looking for a project that is relevant, compelling, original, and could reasonably have a first draft finished within nine months. This should not be a play that already has a full draft written. In addition to the proposal, please also submit biographical information and a one-paragraph statement about why you would like to develop this piece with the Brennan Center and Tisch. The selection committee will evaluate the specificity of your proposed play and its potential impact on the national discussion of American democracy.
Please note that the Brennan Center for Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is legally prohibited from electioneering. Proposals that support or oppose any candidate currently running for elective office will not be eligible for commission. Proposals should not endorse or oppose any proposed legislation currently pending at the state or federal level.
Submissions will be selected only from people who have received an invitation directly from the Brennan Center or Tisch. Submissions from outside of those channels will not be considered.
The Democracy Theater Lab is open only to legal U.S. residents. Current or former (within the preceding six months) employees, officers, or directors of the Brennan Center or Tisch, and any member of the immediate family (spouse or partner, parent, grandparent, sibling, child, or grandchild) or household of any of the foregoing individuals are not eligible to submit a proposal.
By submitting a proposal, you represent that the work is, and will be, an original work of authorship by you, and that you are the sole owner of the copyright in the work. Works intended to have joint authorship should be jointly submitted, with all authors identified.
By submitting a proposal, you agree to grant the evaluators from the Brennan Center and Tisch access to the submitted materials. Proposals will not be returned to the playwright. You are responsible for retaining a copy of all submitted material.
Please send questions to democracytheaterlab@brennan.law.nyu.edu, and submit your proposal using the link below.
The deadline to submit proposals is April 15, 2025.