The WDA Democracy Theater Project
Refuse. Resist. Organize.
WDA sponsors free, readily down-loaded and easily mounted one-act plays that dramatize the refusal to yield to Donald Trump’s destruction of American democracy, and that then serve as catalysts for discussion, organizing, and building the movement solidarity necessary for resistance.
It Can’t Happen Here – Again! brings the Sinclair Lewis classic to life in a snappy adaptation that honors the nationwide theatrical phenomenon it inspired in 1936, a week ahead of an election that rescued the New Deal and turned back the tide of fascism that was sweeping Europe. This new production rides on the rails of the chilling parallels between the 1930s and 2025.
Paul Revere Resists, riffing on the iconic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is a rousing celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Ameri can Revolution, which turns out to be unfinished. But the play is also a grievous charging of Donald Trump with the searing indictments brought against King George III by the Declaration of Independence.
Since Trump came to power again in 2024, more than 150 readings of these two plays have been staged in dozens of cities in all kinds of venues: theaters, but also living rooms, churches, back yards – wherever people could come together. With scripts in hand, professional actors have mounted shows on major stages, but so have residents of retirement communities and regulars at the neighborhood tavern. Nothing fancy is required, and no permission is needed. The plays, running about half an hour, can be done anywhere, anytime. Just download the scripts – ICHH-A here and PRR here; recruit five readers and rehearse them briefly; then gather folks to defend our dangerously threatened democracy. Follow your performance with a conversation about carrying the refusal of Donald Trump to the next level. Folks will be grateful to express their fears and hopes - and to find new resolve in the company of others. All that we ask is that you let us know that you are putting on a show. (email link) And then - break a leg.
