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 and artistic risk, the series explores the untold stories of these disruptive figures.
Season 1 centers on Victoria Woodhull, who ran 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 crafts 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, denouncing 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 foreshadowed her 1964 run for the presidency.
In 2024–25, A Simple Herstory expanded with live events for Season 2 (currently in development) at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater, merging the intimacy of sound storytelling with the immediacy of live performance. These events brought the story of Margaret Chase Smith to the stage, engaging new, anticipatory audiences and building a local following around one of the most fascinating — and overlooked — figures in American political history. Students from Powerhouse’s Training Program joined the creative team as live Foley artists (#TeamFoley) in 2024, and as observers and crew in 2025.
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 and 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 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 crafts 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, denouncing 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 foreshadowed her 1964 run for the presidency.
In 2024–25, A Simple Herstory expanded with live events for Season 2 (currently in development) at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater, merging the intimacy of sound storytelling with the immediacy of live performance. These events brought the story of Margaret Chase Smith to the stage, engaging new, anticipatory audiences and building a local following around one of the most fascinating — and overlooked — figures in American political history. Students from Powerhouse’s Training Program joined the creative team as live Foley artists (#TeamFoley) in 2024, and as observers and crew in 2025.
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 and 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.
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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)
