First Ladies and the Big White Lie

A Play Reading.  Tickets are free; donations appreciated.

Written by Janine Sternlieb
with Lennie Dean
Directed by Bronwen Shears

Cast:
Stacey Kerr
Jessica Headington
Juliet Noonan
Lydia Revelos
Sheila Lichire
Rose Roberts
Laura Davies
Diane Pratt
Liz Jahren
Bronwen Shears

In the afterlife, the most famous deceased First Ladies are shocked by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat, and the brazen confidence of fascists in Charlottesville. When the daughter of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson arrives to challenge their assumptions of American history, they must reckon honestly with this country’s original sin. They demonstrate that a full accounting of America’s history and constant vigilance are essential to our liberty and pursuit of justice.

After the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, I wondered: What would the Jefferson and Hemings families think of white supremacists rallying in their hometown? I imagined Mary Lincoln, who sacrificed her husband, her son, and her brothers to the Civil War. What would she think of 21st century Nazis defending statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson? And might Varina Davis, First Lady of the Confederacy, feel emboldened by these 21st century Confederates? The play gives voice to nine historic women who have a lot to say about our nation’s founding and evolution, the ongoing struggles with racial equality, and the current culture wars. In 2025, let's listen to the Ladies!