The Civilians

08/27/2026

What does resistance look like across America? Help us find out.

Join The Civilians’ Field Research Team and help document the stories of people taking action against authoritarianism and in support of democracy. The 2026 team will kick off with 50 STATES OF RESISTANCE, conducting interviews across the country that will become the source material for live performance and new artistic work.

No previous investigative theater or interviewing experience is required. We’ll provide training in The Civilians’ methodology, and participation is virtual, so artists from anywhere are encouraged to apply.

🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-FC9anh36TlBiiE-INNSgq300TnEDDcpOO_v57bf2kNErKA/viewform?mc_cid=0a068df55e&mc_eid=f1aaa65659

And please share with an artist, interviewer, storyteller, or curious human who should know about this.

08/16/2026

We’re looking for volunteer creative investigators from across the country to help us conduct interviews, gather stories, and turn real conversations into new work.

The 2025–26 team will begin with 50 STATES OF RESISTANCE, an ambitious new project documenting how people across all 50 states are fighting authoritarianism and supporting democracy. No previous interview or research experience is required. The Civilians’ artistic team will provide training in our investigative theater methodology, and all meetings will take place virtually.

🗓 Apply by August 31
📍 Open to applicants anywhere
🔗 Learn more and apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-FC9anh36TlBiiE-INNSgq300TnEDDcpOO_v57bf2kNErKA/viewform

Know someone who would be perfect for this? Send it their way.

07/30/2026

🚨Calling all creatives🚨

The Civilians, a non-profit theatre company, is seeking a digital media producer for a short-term consulting engagement as part of our strategic planning process.

Does this sound like you? For more details, please reach out at the link in bio.

07/09/2026

🚨 One week left.

Applications for The Civilians' 2026–27 R&D Group close July 15.

Whether you're just beginning a new project or already deep into the process, we're looking for artists whose work is driven by investigation, experimentation, and discovery.

Learn more and apply: https://thecivilians.org/upcoming/apply-to-the-2026-27-rd-group/

06/13/2026

DISCO DEMO starts with a riot and ends on the dance floor.

We sat down with creators Adam J. Rineer and Jason Aguirre to discuss their new musical inspired by the 1979 Disco Demolition riot in Chicago. Drawing from conversations with family members and deep research into the era, the piece looks beyond the headlines to the Black, Brown, and Q***r communities who built a culture rooted in joy and liberation on the dance floor.

In this interview, Adam and Jason share how research becomes song, why disco’s musical roots stretch far beyond a single genre, and their vision for a show where the audience isn’t just watching—they’re dancing too.

Join us on June 18 for DISCO DEMO as part of the 2026 FINDINGS Series.

🎟 Free admission with RSVP — https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOWqMoyM1BdQl7-2LzX-cFTkXsvOq2dJdIKgj19r8GDvdE2w/viewform

06/12/2026

DISCO DEMO by Adam J. Rineer & Jason Aguirre, presented as part of the 2026 FINDINGS Series, looks beyond the spectacle of “the day disco died” to the people who lived through it.

An explosion. A riot. A dance floor. A love story. On July 12, 1979, Chicago erupted in what some call “the day disco died”. At Comiskey Park, the “Disco Sucks” movement’s record torching publicity stunt turned into a riot, destroying thousands of disco records. Across Chicago, in the more than 100 active discos, black, brown, and q***r people gathered to dance, celebrate, and fight to survive as the city’s cultural fabric was torn open. Despite this event, they found love, release, and escape. DISCO DEMO is an interview and research-based musical that shifts the spotlight from the spectacle to the people who lived it and found solace in a genre that championed joy and liberation asking, what does it mean to seek joy in the face of hatred?

Run time: 60 minutes.

🗓 June 18 @ 7pm
📍 ART/NY, 520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor
🎟 Free admission with RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOWqMoyM1BdQl7-2LzX-cFTkXsvOq2dJdIKgj19r8GDvdE2w/viewform

06/11/2026

Climate catastrophe, oral histories, and geological time collide in FORCE MAJEURE by Jeanine Oleson, presented as part of the 2026 FINDINGS Series.

At some unknown point, the geological activity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone of the Pacific Northwest will trigger large tsunamis that will devastate the region, which is already suffering from droughts and fires caused by climate change. The impact on vulnerable communities will be staggering and longer-term issues with nuclear and toxic afterlives will be a certainty. How do we live with this and other past/current/future catastrophes?

Responding to these circumstances, this experimental performance uses sound/music that relates to water and geological activity, language pulled from climate/geosciences research, oral histories, and risk management systems, alongside the human ability to comprehend (and not) form the backbone of this work.

With sound/music by Anthony Vine and Erato Kremmyda; performers including Beth Griffith.

Run time: 45 minutes.

🗓 June 15 @ 7pm
📍 ART/NY, 520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor
🎟 Free admission with RSVP - link in bio,

06/09/2026

We are thrilled to extend a huge congratulations to our founding artistic associate, colleague and longtime friend, Bess Wohl, on this momentous, historic, and deeply deserved win!

Her play *Liberation* already won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and has multiple future productions planned, even though its Broadway run has concluded. Read more on New York Theatre Guide.

06/09/2026

Climate catastrophe, oral histories, and geological time collide in FORCE MAJEURE by Jeanine Oleson, presented as part of the 2026 FINDINGS Series.

At some unknown point, the geological activity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone of the Pacific Northwest will trigger large tsunamis that will devastate the region, which is already suffering from droughts and fires caused by climate change. The impact on vulnerable communities will be staggering and longer-term issues with nuclear and toxic afterlives will be a certainty. How do we live with this and other past/current/future catastrophes?

Responding to these circumstances, this experimental performance uses sound/music that relates to water and geological activity, language pulled from climate/geosciences research, oral histories, and risk management systems, alongside the human ability to comprehend (and not) form the backbone of this work.

With sound/music by Anthony Vine and Erato Kremmyda; performers including Beth Griffith.

Run time: 45 minutes.

🗓 June 15 @ 7pm
📍 ART/NY, 520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor
🎟 Free admission with RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOWqMoyM1BdQl7-2LzX-cFTkXsvOq2dJdIKgj19r8GDvdE2w/viewform

06/09/2026

We sat down with creators Andromache Chalfant and Robert M. Johanson to talk about the memories, interviews, and music behind JANUARY IN NEW YORK.

What began with a childhood memory—and a search for the dimensions of an old bedroom—grew into a deeply personal exploration of marriage, family, and artistic life in 1970s New York. Drawing on interviews with Andromache’s parents and featuring an original score by Robert, the piece traces the evolution of a relationship across decades, revealing the hopes, compromises, and acts of forgiveness that shape a life together.

Join us on June 12 for JANUARY IN NEW YORK as part of the 2026 FINDINGS Series.

🎟 Free admission with RSVP — https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOWqMoyM1BdQl7-2LzX-cFTkXsvOq2dJdIKgj19r8GDvdE2w/viewform