Protect the Past.

Expand the Future.

Own Our History, Fuel Our Fight.

Because history forgot them and Politicians want to erase them. We’re fighting back. Join Us.

At Expand the Canon, we’re on a mission to save theatre history. Every year, we uncover overlooked classic plays by women and gender-expansive playwrights from around the world — brilliant works that were once celebrated but have since been erased from the canon. These plays represent diverse genders, races, religions, and political perspectives — the full spectrum of humanity that has always existed in the arts. And right now, those very identities are under attack.

When libraries are being emptied and funding for the arts is slashed, preserving these voices becomes an act of resistance.

Why Donate Today?

Our work is as urgent as it is necessary. Cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and shrinking grants across the country are threatening the survival of small arts nonprofits. The ripple effects extend far beyond organizations like ours — they endanger libraries, archives, and the collective memory of the stories that shaped us.

But here’s what we know for sure:
We cannot rely on public institutions to protect our history.

We must own it — by preserving it, sharing it, and making sure it never disappears again.

3% Cover the Fee

Your gift isn’t just funding a project.

It’s fueling a movement —
one that ensures these artists are remembered, celebrated, read, and produced for generations to come.

Every donation — big or small — moves us closer to a future where the full story of theater is finally told.

Give today and help us
Read, Produce, and Expand
the Canon.

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Emily Lyon, Artistic Director of Expand the Canon

“In a time when libraries are being emptied and history is being rewritten, Expand the Canon stands firm.
We research, archive, and celebrate the classic plays the world tried to erase — and we need your help to keep that work alive.”

What Your Gift Supports

Your contribution directly powers the work that keeps the canon alive and expanding:

1.Paying Researchers and Curators a Living Wage
Because preservation work is creative labor — and it deserves to be sustainable.

2. Funding Archival & Research Trips
Our team travels to libraries and archives to uncover hidden gems for our 10,000+ play database.

3. Translating Plays from Around the World
Many of these classics have never before been accessible in English.

4. Publishing the Expand the Canon Monologue Book
Bringing these voices to classrooms, auditions, and rehearsal rooms everywhere.

5. Tracking Equity in Classical Production
Funding new research on how many women and gender-expansive playwrights are produced nationwide — and how to change that.

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3% Cover the Fee
A woman with short curly hair resting her head on her crossed arms on a piano, in a room with purple and pink tones.
A woman with short curly hair smiling and looking upward, wearing a green jacket and a light-colored top, outdoors with trees in the background.

Donate Today

Your Support Writes the Future of the Classics

This is more than a fundraiser — it’s a movement to preserve cultural history and reclaim the canon for everyone.

Together, we can make sure the next generation inherits a theatre history that reflects the full range of human experience.

Want to support our work AND read 52 incredible plays?
Subscribe to the ETC list.

If you'd prefer to make a donation by check, make it out to
Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre and send to:

520 8th Ave, Box 365
New York, NY 10018

THANK YOU!