The Democracy Project

Democracy is in trouble – the show is, at least. Federal Hall is presenting a play about the birth of American democracy, and one of the actors is sick, forcing the hall’s computer technician, Alicia, to step into a role. But Alicia, a Black woman, experiences the show differently than her predecessor, and as she reenacts key moments in American history, she starts to question how wise the founders actually were – especially if the Bill of Rights was basically an afterthought. As the production begins to unravel, the actor portraying the Chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Alexander McGillvray, starts to wonder if going back to our nation’s roots means that everyone but the Indigenous people should leave, which opens up bigger questions about the country’s land, its inhabitants and ownership. Democracy is like theatre: Sometimes the collaboration is smooth, sometimes messy, sometimes hilarious, sometimes unnerving – but you’ll get a show nonetheless.

PRODUCER’S NOTE

“A murderer’s row of playwrights.” – Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater, describing the writing team of The Democracy Project

In 2023, thousands flocked to see a play written by six celebrated playwrights, a perspective-shifting odyssey through the 527 days when Federal Hall was the nation’s first capitol; when the presidency was new, the slave trade was in debate, and the Constitution – and the rights of all this land’s inhabitants – hung in the balance. Tanya Barfield, Lisa D’Amour, Larissa FastHorse, Melissa James Gibson, Michael R. Jackson and Bruce Norris all collaborated on The Democracy Project, a play for and about Federal Hall, directed by Tamilla Woodward and Tai Thompson.

The play was commissioned by the Federal Hall Conservancy, whose goal was to bring back the importance of Federal Hall, now a national memorial, as a forum for public discourse by presenting a play based on its storied history, free to the public.

The project came together organically. It was playwright Bruce Norris who suggested we invite several different playwrights to imagine what a fresh telling of our history could look like. This was a few months after the tumultuous presidential election of 2016, and many were looking to history to give context the moment.

The Conservancy presented the playwrights with 20 foundational stories about Federal Hall, and the playwrights decided four would write scenes based on a story of their choosing, one would write a scene that took place in contemporary times, and one would write a song.

We held more than 20 writers’ room meetings as the artists wrestled with how these stories could be brought together and framed in a way that was both enlightening and entertaining. It was a messy, democratic process, filled with the same contentious conversations happening around the country concerning our history and how it has been shaped by race, identity, and the fight for true equality. It wasn’t easy.

One memorable conversation went something like this:

PLAYWRIGHT 1. I like to end my plays with hope.
PLAYWRIGHT 2. My hopes are not the same as your hopes.
PLAYWRIGHT 3. I don’t believe in hope.

You get the idea. These playwrights have different life experiences, different writing styles, different philosophies, and yet to make a play, they all had to work together.

The group locked onto the contradictions between the ideals expressed by the Founders and the reality experienced by those not represented at Federal Hall. They chose Ona Judge, a woman enslaved by Martha Washington, to lead the audience through the play. The real Ona Judge eventually escaped to freedom and has a unique, first-person published account of her experiences during this period.

Through the eyes of Ona Judge, we are given a fresh view of Federal Hall’s historic firsts: the inauguration of the first president, George Washington; the introduction of the Bill of Rights; the 1790 Quaker petitions against the slave trade; and the first U.S. international treaty, made with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Twice delayed during the COVID pandemic, The Democracy Project finally had a public reading at the Guggenheim Museum’s prestigious Works and Process series in 2022.

In 2023, The Democracy Project premiered off-Broadway and played to capacity audiences in Federal Hall’s landmark Greek Revival-style building’s Grand Rotunda.

Confronting the history of Federal Hall, Ona Judge and Creek Chief Alexander McGillivray flip the script on a history usually reserved for the Founders, making history come alive with the struggle and humanity of people often left out of our founding stories.

It was the privilege of a lifetime to work with these passionate and accomplished theatre artists. They’ve managed to come up with an imaginative play that brings forward the historic importance of both Federal Hall and of people whose stories had been lost to many. I hope theatre makers and audiences find inspiration and insight in this work.

– Lynn Goldner, Producer