This fall, Fiasco Theater and The Public partner to celebrate a hidden American classic: THE VERGE by Susan Glaspell, Pulitzer Prize winner and founder of the Provincetown Players. In Glaspell’s 1921 masterpiece, botanist Claire Archer is on a quest to create a new life: a plant unlike any that has ever come before. When her husband, lover, and soulmate each arrive in her greenhouse seeking heat in a snowstorm, chaos ensues. But as Claire pushes–sometimes violently—against the constraints of her own good breeding, she wonders if the only way to transcend boundaries is to destroy them. By turns witty farce, devastating philosophical debate, and scathing feminist cry, THE VERGE defies genre and pierces the bounds of theatrical realism. Jessie Austrian directs this new Fiasco production.

“I fell in love with THE VERGE when EXPAND THE CANON, an organization that curates a collection of classic plays by women through history, sent the script my way in 2023 and then partnered with Fiasco on a reading of THE VERGE as part of their 2023-24 advocacy,” shares director Jessie Austrian. “I was floored by Susan Glaspell's writing: the daring, the humor, the vast topography within the play—its refusal to conform to one style or genre. And I immediately thought of my colleague Miriam Silverman, who I knew would be tremendous in the role of Claire. Fiasco is thrilled to be partnering with The Public to revive this masterpiece, which feels deeply immediate despite being written a hundred years ago.”

Expand the Canon Community Night Post Show Discussion —Thursday, November 12, 7:30PM

Join Expand the Canon Artistic Director Emily Lyon in conversation with THE VERGE director Jessie Austrian, dramaturg Rhiannon Ling, and actor Miriam Silverman for a conversation about Susan Glaspell's legacy, the role of Claire Archer in the panoply of theatrical antihero(ines)s, and the continued advocacy for the work of women and gender expansive classic playwrights.

Tickets at PublicTheater.org