Playwright Bess Wohl is celebrating her latest Broadway opening this week with the arrival of her newest play, Liberation, which is inspiring audiences nightly at the James Earl Jones Theatre. Officially opening Tuesday, October 28, 2025, Liberation is currently playing a limited engagement through January 11, 2026.
The show looks back but is also grounded in the current moment, exploring what it means to be a woman in today’s climate and what has changed–or hasn’t–since the women’s movement of the 70s. Liberation is loosely inspired by Wohl’s own relationship with her mom and the real women who made up her feminist community.
In addition to Liberation, her plays include Grand Horizons, Make Believe, Continuity, Small Mouth Sounds, and more. Her feature film debut, Baby Ruby, starring Noémie Merlant and Kit Harington, premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures. She also wrote for the Apple TV+ series, Extrapolations, created by Scott Z. Burns.
Read about what inspires Wohl, her favorite spot in NYC, and more below.
1. What inspired you to become a playwright?
I actually began writing plays when I was an acting student at the Yale School of Drama, inspired by my drama school classmates. I wanted to give the actors in my program roles that allowed them to stretch and explore new sides of themselves.
2. Who in your field inspires you?
I still find myself incredibly inspired by actors. When I watch the way our ensemble in Liberation serves up the play every night, with skill, rigor and grace, I am truly blown away. It feels like a magic trick.
3. What should audiences be most excited about seeing in Liberation?
The play tells the story of a time when regular citizens came together to change the world, find friendship, and community. I hope that experiencing this reminds audiences that they, too, can make a difference, whether in large or small ways. Every action counts, and you never know the ripple effect you might have.
4. If you didn’t need to sleep at night, what would you spend your time doing?
Oh, so many things! I never have enough time. I would write more plays, read all the great books, watch the movies I never have time to watch, respond to emails, go to the gym, learn a new language, do yoga, take baths, take long walks and stare at the moon, have long talks with my insomniac friends, bake elaborate cakes, snuggle my children, clean out my closet, the list could go on forever. That said, I really, really love to sleep, so I’m glad I get to do that too.
5. What is your favorite NYC spot?
I’m a lifelong New Yorker, so I’ve got a lot of favorite spots, but right now I’m really enjoying the dog park at Pier Six in Brooklyn. We recently got an amazing dog named Phoebe, and I just love taking her there, drinking a coffee, and watching all the dog drama.
Catch Bess Wohl’s Liberation, now playing a limited engagement through January 11, 2026.
