
According to data collected by Playbill, the 2023-24 Broadway season saw the most number of female directors in its history (out of 38 shows, 16 were directed by women). And it wasn’t just the number of female directors, but also female playwrights and producers, who saw more stage-time in the same season than in Broadway history.
The Women Count report, an annual project that collects and publishes analyses of New York City Off Broadway production credits to assess gender parity in theater hiring decisions which began in 2014, found that out of 77 productions in the 2023-24 season, 45% of playwrights and 58% of directors were female or non-binary. As Playbill outlined in their summary of the report, this past season was “historic” for women.
Knowing how important it is to have a diversity of voices and artists across all areas of the theater industry, a new theatre partnership called The Femme Collective was launched in late 2024 in New York, comprised of three women-led companies, with the goal of reimagining the theatre industry’s future.
Born out of the financial and cultural challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, this innovative collaboration between three women-led companies, MultiStages, The Neo-Political Cowgirls, and Eden Theater Company, seeks to redefine theater through shared resources, amplified diversity, and community resilience.
The Femme Collective represents a shift in how theater companies operate in a post-pandemic world. By combining resources, sharing spaces, and cultivating a spirit of creative interdependence, the group confronts economic challenges head-on while advocating for equity in the arts. Commencing in a four-week residency at The Theater at the 14th St Y (344 East 14th St, New York, NY), performances began Thursday, January 9, and continued through Saturday, February 1, with three bold productions that reflect its mission to elevate underrepresented voices and push creative boundaries.

Wanting to learn more about The Femme Collective and this unique partnership, we had the chance to speak with Diane Davis, also known as D-Davis, the Creative Artistic Director from Eden Theater Company. Their production of BROKEN THREAD, written by Diane, which was part of the month-long residency, is a gripping exploration of identity, tradition, and the ties that bind us.
When a mother summons her estranged daughters for a long-awaited family portrait, three years of silence are broken, revealing a fragile moment filled with old wounds and unspoken truths. The reunion teeters between hope and tension as sibling rivalries, lingering betrayals, and the shadow of addiction resurface. At the heart of their fractured history lies the memory of their last portrait—a night of devastating loss that left their family shattered. As each sister confronts her role in the past, their journey toward reconciliation unfolds into a poignant reckoning with the weight of love, guilt, and forgiveness.
Diane was able to tell us about her own career trajectory, the impact her team hopes The Femme Collective will have, and how theatre has the power to light the way for change, in a world that feels heavy and divisive right now.

Where did your Theater career begin, and what initially drew you to theater?
At college. My first semesters I was in acting classes, movement for actors and smaller roles in productions. Since we all had to crew, I was a lighting assist, stage manager, usher and assisted painting sets. College provided that all around knowledge of theater in a very concentrated way. The objective was to get our work on its feet – either in a traditional theater setting, or like a public spectacle – onsite in different community locations. After being a semi-professional musician and then mother, I began writing plays.
Tell us about Eden Theater Company – what was the mission behind its creation?
My daughter, Cassandra Paras, and I started ETC out of a desire to collaborate. Our first production, Scrambled Porn, in 2019 at The Flea marked the beginning of Eden Theater Company’s mission to build a multi-ethnic, intergenerational theater company dedicated to developing new plays. We then produced FlipSide,a twist on produced monologues, and then our first professional production of my play COMPLICITY. For over two years, our PlayLab developed and presented over 30 new plays, fulfilling our mission to develop and present new work—even through the challenges of COVID.
After COVID and its impact on our resources, we took the opportunity to re-examine our goals and the type of work we were producing. Today, Eden Theater Company continues to prioritize building collaborative, intergenerational teams, but we focus on developing new plays that inspire a deeper understanding of the world through provocative storytelling. Our work bridges the gaps between identities, exploring the cultural, societal, and political forces that shape human experience. We believe that at the heart of all areas of society lies a culture that exerts power over subjectivity, often rooted in the social formation of gender.
In your role as Creative Artistic Director, what is your involvement in each of the productions?
Our core team consists of myself as Artistic Producer and Byron Anthony as Executive Producer. Together, we are deeply involved in every aspect of production. While my expertise lies more on the artistic side, Byron handles the technical and creative aspects of production. As creative producers, we work hand in hand on every project. If it bears the mark of Eden Theater Company, it reflects our close collaboration to honor the creators’ vision while advancing our mission.
We strive to create an atmosphere that empowers artists to produce their finest work. Our rigorous standards underscore our commitment to excellence in every aspect of production. We take pride in our strong track record of fostering relationships with artists who are eager to return and in cultivating an audience that expects to be challenged. Most importantly, the work we do excites and inspires us, too.

Can you tell us more about your partnership in The Femme Collective, and how this collaboration came about?
We are three women-led theater companies with a shared passion for producing new work. However, the overwhelming financial demands of producing new plays and theatrical productions made it difficult to achieve our goals individually. Recognizing the potential power of collaboration, we formed a strong collective to share resources. By working together, we’ve created a more sustainable model for production while continuing to meet our performance goals.
Working collectively is not without its challenges. It requires careful consideration of each company’s mission, aesthetics, and goals. Our focus has been on finding common ground—specifically, the tangible production needs we all share—and pooling resources to address them. At the same time, each company builds productions that reflect its unique creative vision.
As three distinct types of creators, we are now able to produce three incredible shows in an outstanding theater—something we couldn’t have achieved on our own at this point in the New York City theatrical landscape.
Eden’s productions are focused on “plays that inspire a deeper understanding of the world around us through provocative storytelling”, especially around topics like gender. What do you hope your upcoming productions will contribute to culture, especially as we are about to enter a second trump administration?
“Broken Thread,” delves into themes of familial estrangement, reconciliation, and the enduring impact of past traumas. While it doesn’t explicitly reference political contexts, it resonates with challenges that have intensified for women during the Trump era.
The current administration’s policy shifts in DEI and those affecting women’s reproductive health, and moving back to “traditional” perspectives of womanhood, can exacerbate feelings of isolation and vulnerability among women, particularly those already facing societal challenges. My story’s portrayal of women confronting personal and relational adversities mirrors the broader struggles many women experience in a socio-political climate that may feel increasingly hostile or unsupportive.
By highlighting the resilience and determination of my characters, “Broken Thread” underscores the importance of solidarity and understanding in overcoming both personal and systemic challenges. I hope this narrative serves as a poignant reflection on the necessity of confronting and healing from past wounds, a theme that resonates deeply in times of political and social upheaval.

How does identity and belonging play a role in Eden’s plays?
Eden Theater Company emphasizes multi-ethnic and intergenerational collaboration, bringing diverse perspectives to the forefront. Many of the plays we develop explore how individual identities—shaped by race, gender, age, and culture—intersect and influence both personal and societal experiences. This exploration lies at the heart of understanding identity.
By addressing questions of selfhood, societal roles, and cultural belonging, our plays challenge audiences to reflect on how identity shapes relationships and power dynamics. In our creative sessions, we often explore themes of belonging, questioning what it truly means to feel “at home” within one’s community, family, or society.
We believe that every area of society reveals a culture of power, often rooted in gender identity. This perspective enables our writers to create plays that reflect how personal interactions can either challenge or reinforce systemic issues. By unpacking the social formations of identity and belonging, we aim to offer audiences a lens through which they can examine broader cultural and political dynamics.
How do you view the role of theater in today’s cultural and political climate in general?
The theater I grew up in has been used as a means of protest and political engagement. And many productions continue to address issues such as racism, sexism, and climate change. Plays as a form of resistance offers a visceral critique that can create awareness and provoke change. But a history lesson can only go so far. Plays that explore the human condition, that serve as a mirror to our personal soul, offer us an opportunity for people to examine or understand how they might personally contribute to the challenges or the celebrations in society.
Dialogue is the beginning point of understanding differences and moving toward reconciliation. In a polarized world, theater has the potential to bridge divides. By presenting multiple perspectives on contentious personal issues, plays can foster a dialogue among communities. Broken Thread addresses many different social issues: family, drug addiction, the influence of trauma on womanhood. Although expressed as a personal story, my character’s relationships can relate to a larger discourse. By helping people see issues from different angles, a theatrical experience can stimulate a dialogue built on empathy and understanding.
Theater in today’s cultural and political climate is both a mirror and a lamp—reflecting society while also lighting the way for change, dialogue, and deeper understanding. Its ability to address complex issues with nuance and emotional depth ensures its continued relevance in modern discourse.

What does it mean to you personally to have 3 women-led theater companies work together for The Femme Collective? Why is this aspect important to note?
Women-led theater companies are often at the forefront of dismantling stereotypes about what roles women can play on stage and behind the scenes. One of the most significant contributions is their commitment to telling stories that center women’s experiences, voices, and perspectives. Traditional theater has often focused on male-centered narratives, with women’s roles being secondary or stereotypical.
Women-led theater companies actively seek to amplify women’s stories—whether historical, contemporary, or imagined—giving depth and nuance to female characters. This helps to counterbalance the historically male-dominated canon and offers audiences a more diverse range of narratives.
What can you tell us about ‘Broken Thread’ and its mother-daughter storyline?
Called home for a family portrait, sisters reunite after estrangement, stepping into a fragile moment thick with old wounds and unspoken truths. What begins as an uneasy gathering becomes an unflinching confrontation with the past. Navigating through memories that unwind their measured upbringing and reflect on one sister’s alienation, assault, and addiction, these women strive to be seen and understood, and grapple with choices made. They discover that home is not always what you think it is. The weight of their shared history, especially the memory of the last portrait, turns a journey of reconciliation to gradually become a reckoning.
Broken Thread weaves a story of fractured bonds, difficult choices, and the haunting realization that home is as fragile as the ties that bind it. At its heart, this is a poignant tale of resilience and reconciliation, asks: When the threads of family unravel, can they ever be mended? And if so, at what cost?
What do you hope audiences will love most about the plays they see from The Femme Collective?
That they spent a worthwhile night in the theater!
How do you hope The Femme Collective will change the theater landscape with this collaboration?
We hope to see more independent theater companies able to present their work sustainably, with the freedom to nurture diverse new play development that challenges our perceptions of the world. We aim to provide theatrical artists at all levels with the opportunity to develop their craft while being paid a living wage. Our vision is for theater to continue thriving, offering fresh perspectives that move audiences and evoke emotions they had never imagined through the visceral experience of live performance.
You can learn more about BROKEN THREAD on the Eden Theater Company website, and follow the company on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with future news about The Femme Collective and its partners.
