A Simple Herstory is an award-winning audio fiction series about the 100+ women who have run for President of the United States. Through a blend of historical research, humor, and artistic risk, the series explores the untold stories of these disruptive and often overlooked figures.
Season 1 centers on Victoria Woodhull, who ran for President in 1872 — nearly 50 years before women could vote. Season 2 shifts focus to Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress and a 1964 Republican presidential contender. Drawing inspiration from 20th-century film styles, this season creates a rich, complex portrait of a woman who defied both political and cultural expectations.
One of the defining moments of Smith’s career was her stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare. In 1950, she delivered her “Declaration of Conscience” speech, challenging the politics of fear at a time when few others were willing to do the same. Though politically costly, the speech revealed a tenacious resolve that would foreshadow her 1964 run for the presidency.
In 2024, 2025, and 2026, A Simple Herstory expanded into live presentations of Season 2 at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater and, in 2026, in conjunction with the Tribeca Festival. These events are electric, community-building experiences that offer audiences a special peek behind the curtain — merging the intimacy of sound storytelling with the immediacy of live performance. They bring the story of Margaret Chase Smith to the stage while introducing new audiences to one of the most fascinating — and often overlooked — figures in American political history.. At Powerhouse, students from the Training Program joined the creative team as live Foley artists (#TeamFoley) in 2024, and as observers and crew in 2025 and 2026.
The 2026 Tribeca presentation brought A Simple Herstory into the broader cultural landscape of Tribeca’s 25th-anniversary Festival, a New York platform that spans film, television, podcasts, games, music, and live storytelling. Presented as a special live radio play at The Tank, the event offered audiences a new way into Smith’s story, followed by an after-show gathering at Torn Page featuring a conversation with The Gilded Gentleman creator and host Carl Raymond and members of the creative team.
The series challenges how we think about women in politics, American culture, and the ways we tell — and re-tell — history. Through live events, we’re building localized campaigns, as it were, to connect people to a vibrant, shared space where they can engage with the undeniable messiness — and extraordinary appeal — of the women who ran.
At a time marked by deep national division, our immersive, radio-play-style events have sparked unexpected community around some of our country’s most historically complex political figures. Audiences return again and again to engage with the interplay of medium, ideology, and history — to meet and re-meet some of our nation’s most “difficult women.”
Season 1 centers on Victoria Woodhull, who ran for President in 1872 — nearly 50 years before women could vote. Season 2 shifts focus to Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress and a 1964 Republican presidential contender. Drawing inspiration from 20th-century film styles, this season creates a rich, complex portrait of a woman who defied both political and cultural expectations.
One of the defining moments of Smith’s career was her stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare. In 1950, she delivered her “Declaration of Conscience” speech, challenging the politics of fear at a time when few others were willing to do the same. Though politically costly, the speech revealed a tenacious resolve that would foreshadow her 1964 run for the presidency.
In 2024, 2025, and 2026, A Simple Herstory expanded into live presentations of Season 2 at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater and, in 2026, in conjunction with the Tribeca Festival. These events are electric, community-building experiences that offer audiences a special peek behind the curtain — merging the intimacy of sound storytelling with the immediacy of live performance. They bring the story of Margaret Chase Smith to the stage while introducing new audiences to one of the most fascinating — and often overlooked — figures in American political history.. At Powerhouse, students from the Training Program joined the creative team as live Foley artists (#TeamFoley) in 2024, and as observers and crew in 2025 and 2026.
The 2026 Tribeca presentation brought A Simple Herstory into the broader cultural landscape of Tribeca’s 25th-anniversary Festival, a New York platform that spans film, television, podcasts, games, music, and live storytelling. Presented as a special live radio play at The Tank, the event offered audiences a new way into Smith’s story, followed by an after-show gathering at Torn Page featuring a conversation with The Gilded Gentleman creator and host Carl Raymond and members of the creative team.
The series challenges how we think about women in politics, American culture, and the ways we tell — and re-tell — history. Through live events, we’re building localized campaigns, as it were, to connect people to a vibrant, shared space where they can engage with the undeniable messiness — and extraordinary appeal — of the women who ran.
At a time marked by deep national division, our immersive, radio-play-style events have sparked unexpected community around some of our country’s most historically complex political figures. Audiences return again and again to engage with the interplay of medium, ideology, and history — to meet and re-meet some of our nation’s most “difficult women.”
About Powerhouse — For six weeks every summer, the Powerhouse Theater Program comes to life on the Vassar College campus to provide a nurturing environment in which passionate theater lovers from students to professional practitioners and audience members learn from one another. The Powerhouse Theater Training Program provides aspiring theater professionals a chance to immerse themselves in acting, directing, and playwriting. The program’s Training Company also offers free performances throughout the season. The Powerhouse Season brings developmental productions, workshops of plays and musicals, and readings of works-in-progress to the Vassar campus. The Powerhouse Program, along with its partner theater institutions and individual artists, creates a crucial community — one that gives time, space and voice to artists of the American theater. More.
About Tribeca — Founded in 2001, the Tribeca Festival is a New York-based celebration of storytelling across film, television, podcasts, games, music, and more. The Festival brings together established and emerging artists, storytellers, and audiences through screenings, performances, conversations, and live events. With a commitment to innovation and creative expression across disciplines, Tribeca provides a platform for artists to share bold new work and for audiences to experience stories in new and unexpected ways. In 2026, the Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary. More.
About The Tank — Founded in 2003, The Tank is a nonprofit arts organization and flexible performance space in downtown New York City dedicated to supporting emerging and established artists across disciplines. The Tank provides an accessible home for theater, dance, music, film, performance, and interdisciplinary work, offering artists space to develop and present new work. Through its diverse programming and commitment to experimentation, The Tank fosters a vibrant community of artists and audiences and serves as a launching pad for innovative performance. More.
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"What inspired me most about A Simple Herstory was how it flipped the idea of 'simple' history on its head, showing that women’s stories, like Margaret Chase Smith’s, are layered and anything but straightforward. The theatrical podcast’s humor, contradictions, and shifting perspectives helped me connect to Smith as a real person, not just a 'first' in the history books. I was also struck by how the constant changes in tone reminded me that history itself isn’t fixed, but shaped by who chooses to tell it, what gets remembered, and what gets erased."
-Akaela Michels-Gualtieri, Training Company (Powerhouse, 2024)
-Akaela Michels-Gualtieri, Training Company (Powerhouse, 2024)
"My experience working on A Simple Herstory was fun and educational. Presenting these stories as Podcast Plays provides a unique and entertaining opportunity to engage with our country's, sometimes fraught, history. While working on this process, I learned more about these strong women, our system of government, and myself."
-Isaac Steinberg, Associate Production Manager (Powerhouse, 2025), Stress Buster Team Foley (The Tank, 2024), & Training Co. (PH, 2024)
-Isaac Steinberg, Associate Production Manager (Powerhouse, 2025), Stress Buster Team Foley (The Tank, 2024), & Training Co. (PH, 2024)
