‘Finish the Fight’ by Alumna and Professor Ming Peiffer ’16 Commissioned by ‘The New York Times’

Theatre Alumna and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Film Ming Peiffer '16 wrote Finish the Fight, a digital theatre performance that focuses on 100 years of women’s right to vote, commissioned by The New York Times. It will premiere virtually at 7 pm on Tuesday, August 18, which marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Directed by 2020 Obie-winner Whitney White, Peiffer’s play shows the life of lesser-known activists who helped to win voting rights for women. The play is an adaptation of the forthcoming book Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers, Jennifer Schuessler, Amisha Padnani, Jennifer Harlan, Sandra E. Garcia and Vivian Wang.

According to The New York Times, “This theatrical retelling goes beyond familiar figures like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to shine light on the Black, Asian, Latinx, Native American and queer women who were at the forefront of the suffrage movement in the United States. Though the play includes invented scenes and imagined conversations among five women — the events of their lives, and their accomplishments, are real.”

The performance is available for free to viewers who RSVP in advance. 

Ming Peiffer is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Columbus, Ohio. Her play Usual Girls (3 Drama Desk Nominations including Outstanding Play, John Gassner Award Nomination, Hull Warriner Award Finalist, Relentless Award Honorable Mention, NYT Critic’s Pick) enjoyed a double-extended, sold out run at Roundabout Underground in NYC. Her work has been developed and/or presented by Roundabout Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, The New Group, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theater, HERE Arts Center, The Flea, The Wild Project, New Ohio, Soho Playhouse, The Gene Frankel Theater, FringeNYC, among others. Peiffer’s awards/fellowships include 2017 Kilroy's List, NYTW 2050 Fellowship, Youngblood Member, The Kennedy Center's Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award Recipient, The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center NPC Finalist, Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist, Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award Finalist. She is currently under commission at Roundabout Theatre Company and Annapurna Theatricals. In TV and film, Peiffer has projects in development at F/X, Amazon, AMC, and has staffed at Netflix and Hulu.