ADVOCACY & ACTION

A collage of diverse women that are members of this organization.

celebrating and promoting women+ playwrights over 40

A logo with the words 'Honor Roll!' in bold, uppercase letters, with 'Honor' in black on a white background and 'Roll!' in white on a red background, all within a black circle.

We celebrate diversity in theater and work to eliminate age discrimination as it intersects with sexism and other biases including those based on race, gender identity, ethnicity, faith, socioeconomic status, disability, and sexual orientation in the American Theater and beyond.

Read our full mission here

From Our Community

  • Woman sitting on a red velvet sofa in a room decorated with picture frames and holiday decorations.

    “Joining Honor Roll! is the single most important thing that I have done for myself in years. The organization offers opportunities, shares resources, and provides support to womxn playwrights 40+ and our 40+ allies."

    Rita Anderson

  • A woman smiling, wearing a cap

    "Honor Roll! has provided me with several opportunities for my work to be published and performed, introduced me to their amazing members and made me feel less alone when facing the double whammy of sexism and ageism."

    J.Lois Diamond

  • A woman with short gray hair, wearing glasses, and a patterned shirt, smiling outdoors with trees in the background.

    "I have learned and benefited from the shared experiences of the women I have had the privilege to meet as a member of Honor Roll, and through the proactive promotion of our work, have felt seen and valued as a member of this community."

    Hortense Gerardo

  • A woman smiling with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing pearl earrings and a white top.

    "Honor Roll’s! mission inspired me to create/produce an innovative all-women playwrights' festival called 'That's (Not) All She Wrote' at two New York theaters. We're now heading into our 5th year!"

    Lori M. Myers

  • A woman with short black hair, smiling, wearing a gray and white striped top.

    "As a playwright over 50, Honor Roll! has been a hope and a lifeline to me!"

    Celeste Bedford Walker

  • A woman with curly brown hair, glasses, and hoop earrings, wearing a black blazer and black dress, sitting against a black background.

    “Honor Roll! gets it. Audiences show up for dynamic plays about women+ over forty because their stories are abundant in life experience, overflowing with adversity and triumph and oh-so-ripe with humor. How do I know? Because I've written and produced eight of them. I'm proud to call myself a member of Honor Roll!”

    Carole Vasta Folley

  • A smiling woman with gray hair wearing glasses, sitting inside a car.

    “Honor Roll! gives me hope for the future of my writing. How wonderful to feel the camaraderie and support of women playwrights. Along with my own creative drive, this keeps me writing.”

    Adrian Walker

  • A woman with short blonde hair, glasses, and a checkered blazer smiling at the camera.

    “Honor Roll! is a great place to give and get support from those who’ve walked the walk and those still learning. Like a college dorm on social media. Someone’s always there!”

    D. Lee Miller

  • Smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a sleeveless black top.

    "Thank you Honor Roll! for teaching the theatre community that playwrights can emerge at any age. Thank you Honor Roll! for allowing us to collectively advocate for parity across the lifespan. Thank you Honor Roll! for helping playwrights over 40 not feel so alone."

    Laura Maria Censabella 

  • Close-up of an elderly woman with curly gray hair, black glasses, smiling, wearing a black turtleneck and blazer.

    "I'm thrilled to be an Honor Roll! member. As a 77-year-old disabled Lesbian Queer Playwright, it helps me to feel that I'm not alone and my struggles are not in vain."

    Ann P. Meredith

  • Close-up of a woman with short gray hair wearing a patterned blue shirt.

    “Through Honor Roll! I have worked with several prolific female playwrights whose work has become the skin and bones of the American canon. I feel supported just by knowing that we share the same goals and work ethic.”

    Vita Patrick Morales

  • A smiling woman with short brown hair and glasses, wearing a colorful floral dress, in front of a wooden background.

    “Knowing that there is an organization with so many members who have had their dreams curtailed by ageism has encouraged me to go forward with determination and strength that good work and great work must be seen. Our stories are urgent!"

    Nancy Shayne

  • An elderly woman with long gray hair taking a selfie in front of a wooden bookshelf filled with books and framed photographs.

    “It's a rush of hope to be in community with all these women, their talent and pluck, their years, who with the support of one another are daring to make noise, open doors and announce themselves and their work: ‘We're here!’"

    Susan Miller

  • Close-up of a woman with curly red hair, smiling softly with her head resting on her hand, in a warm, dimly lit environment.

    “Honor Roll! means that I'm not alone as a playwright over 50, 60 and 70. It means communion, shared knowledge, the accompaniment of many other very good and creative minds. An amazingly thoughtful and proactive leadership. An ongoing pride of purpose and of belonging.”

    Barbara Blatner

  • A woman with blonde hair smiling outdoors, wearing a red puffer jacket and a black, white, and red patterned scarf.

    “Honor Roll! has had my back in ways that truly matter. “She Persisted,” which includes one of my monologues, is a result of their efforts. They fight hard to make sure women+ playwrights over 40 are seen and heard."

    Jeanne Dorsey