The Democracy Cycle FAQs

The Democracy Cycle was created to support new performing arts works in theater, dance, music, opera, and multidisciplinary practice that are based on the promise and challenges of democracy.

Proposals should identify and respond to ideas or themes related to democratic values, such as political equality, majority rule, minority rights, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, among others.

What the Constitution Means to Me, by Heidi Shreck; Little Amal by The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company; Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, as performed live; Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda; City Council Meeting by Aaron Landsman and Mallory Catlett; The Crucible by Arthur Miller; American Utopia by David Byrne; Twilight: Los Angeles by Anna Deavere Smith; An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen; The Fever by 600 Highwaymen; Liza Jessie Peterson’s The Peculiar Patriot; Samora Pinderhughes’ The Healing Project, as performed live.

Projects that are planned to premiere before May 1, 2026 will not be eligible and should not apply.

Eight. We commissioned eight projects in the 2024 Open Call, and we plan to commission eight more projects in the current 2025 Open Call. There will be one more Open Call for proposals after this, in early 2026, for a total of 25 new works.

The Democracy Cycle references democracy with a little “d”, meaning a system of government.

The definition of the term “democracy” from the American Heritage Dictionary: “Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.”

The origins of the term “democracy” from the Encyclopedia Britannica: “Literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratia, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.”

Generative artists are those who conceive and create new original work (e.g., choreographers, composers, playwrights and devisers, writers etc.).

We consider the premiere of a piece as the first public presentation of a finished performance work, when it is open to review. (Workshop showings, work-in-progress showings, and staged readings are not premieres.)

Artists who have not yet created and premiered at least two full-length pieces of live performance are not eligible for this opportunity.

This commission supports works that will be performed live in front of an audience. Proposals that include film or digital art as part of a live performance will be eligible. Proposals that lack a live performance element will be deemed ineligible.

Please look at the Eligibility section of both the RFP / Request for Proposals and the Submission Guidelines, and do the Eligibility Screen in Submittable. If you still have questions, make an appointment with the director of The Democracy Cycle via Calendly.

Include your strongest 1-2 work samples that are examples of previous live performance works that you have created and premiered. NOTE: Video work samples are the most helpful to reviewers. At least 1 of your work samples must be a video of your previous work. Work samples must either be in English or include a translation such as subtitles on videos.

We understand that you are proposing a project you have not yet completed or perhaps begun development on, and understand that your work samples will not necessarily be representative of your proposed project. See more information about file type and size limit in application.

Only numbers should be in the right-hand column of the budget form, no letters, no symbols. If you have any words or symbols or anything other than numbers in the right-hand column, the budget will not auto-compute. Write your line-item name in the left-hand column, and any line-item notes you may have in the middle column. Note: Expenses and Income totals should equal each other (or show a small surplus).

No. We believe that the idea of democracy is not party-specific. The Democracy Cycle is a cross-ideological project. Proposals that advocate by name for a specific party or candidate are not eligible. We welcome proposals from artists of all persuasions, on topics that reflect all points of view. We are looking for projects that derive from a fundamental belief in democracy and the imperative of protecting it.

After The Democracy Cycle staff screens applications for eligibility, each eligible proposal will be reviewed by (at least) two Readers. Using the assessments of those Readers, a pool of finalists will be identified. Those finalist proposals will move forward to a panel made up of experts in both the performing arts field and experts on democracy, who will select the 8 proposals to receive commissions.

You can apply as a lead artist only once in each Commissioning open call. If you apply and are not commissioned, you are welcome to apply again in subsequent open calls.

Yes, if you applied in 2024 and were not commissioned, you may reapply with the same project if it still fits the eligibility criteria. Make sure to adjust the timeline, and answer the very few added questions in the 2025 application form.

There will be new readers and panelists for both the 2025 and 2026 Open Calls.

No. Artists of all nationalities may apply.
Note: All commissioned artists will be responsible for any tax implications involved in accepting a monetary award from a U.S.-based arts organization. International artists who are commissioned should also note that U.S. artist visas are not included in this commission. While a visa is not required to apply, international artists will be responsible for securing a non-immigrant working visa to attend any workshops and performances in the U.S.

PAC NYC will have the option to premiere commissioned projects but no obligation to premiere a commissioned project. 

Artists own the copyright and the title rights to their work. As needed, this may include agreements between collaborators that split up ownership and/or royalties. If a commissioned work is premiered by PAC NYC, it would be subject to an agreement addressing subsidiary rights and other production-related matters.

Yes. Like other commissions and funding streams, PAC NYC and Civis Foundation will ask you to include the funding credit for The Democracy Cycle commission in all programs and other materials related to future versions of the show, whether online or in hard copy. The specific wording for that credit will be in the commissioning contract.

Please contact Boo Froebel, the Director of The Democracy Cycle, at boo.froebel@pacnyc.org. Please allow at least seven business days for a response. We also urge you to check back on these FAQs as they will be updated based on the frequency of questions we receive.