2026 Finalist
Liberation
Synopsis:. 1970s, Ohio. Lizzie gathers a group of women to talk about changing their lives, and the world. What follows is a necessary, messy, and bitingly funny exploration of what it means to be free, and to be a woman. In Liberation, Lizzie’s daughter steps into her mother’s memory—into the unfinished revolution she once helped ignite—and searches the past to find the answer for herself.
Premiered in winter of 2025 at the Roundabout Theatre Company in the Laura Pels Theatre. Currently on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre.
Cast Breakdown: 1 M, 7 W
Set/Costume Requirements: A basement gym in a rec center, somewhere in Ohio.
Agent: Olivier Sultan, CAA
Bio: is a playwright and filmmaker whose plays have been produced on and off Broadway, regionally, and internationally. Bess’s plays include Liberation (currently on Broadway), Grand Horizons (Broadway, Tony Nomination), Camp Siegfried, Make Believe, Continuity, Small Mouth Sounds, American Hero, Touched, In, Cats Talk Back and the musical Pretty Filthy. Her plays have been recognized with a variety of awards and nominations, including the Drama Desk, Drama League, Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics’ Circle. She made her feature film debut with her film Baby Ruby, starring Noémie Merlant and Kit Harington, which she wrote and directed. The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2023. She also is developing multiple television projects and wrote for the Apple TV+ series, Extrapolations. Wohl is an associate artist with The Civilians, and an alumna of Ars Nova’s PlayGroup. Recently, she made her West End debut with a sold out run of Barcelona. She is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.
Liberation by Bess Wohl and directed by Whitney White. On Broadway following its world premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company. Photos by Joan Marcus.