On June 5, 2018, playwright Brooke Berman posted a Facebook rant about “the generation of female playwrights I fear will be forgotten.”

Within hours there were 40 pages filled with 400 posts about women playwrights over 40. “Submerged writers.” “Now that young female playwrights are paid attention to, we’re told we’re old.” “OH GOD YES” “It’s true!”

The playwright Theresa Rebeck invited some playwrights to her home. People ate, drank, and wailed. They felt better, but still weren’t getting produced. Months later, after a highly touted list of women playwrights barely included us, Susan Miller invited more playwrights to meet at her apartment.

The writers started to organize. They wrote a mission statement, formed an Executive Committee: Cynthia Cooper, Cheryl Davis, Yvette Heyliger, Olga Humphrey, Jacquelyn Reingold, Sarah Tuft, Lucy Wang.

The group adopted the named Honor Roll! and became a grass-roots group of women+ playwrights over 40 and their women+ over-40 allies, who self-initiated action to increase our inclusion in theater. 

By 2025, Honor Roll! had 2000 members. Honor Roll! has published plays, hosted podcasts, sponsored play readings, met with theaters, produced plays, received a Lilly Award grant, and created awards to recognize leaders in the field, to name a few of our accomplishments.

Today, Honor Roll! continues to invite women+ over 40 to join, and asks everyone in the theater to include the Honor Roll! playwrights in their programming.