How it all began!

It was the year 2016 and I was an actress working for a political comedy troupe called The Capitol Steps. I was portraying Hillary Clinton, who was poised to become the first female President of the United States. On Election night, November 8th, at 7:45pm, I proudly stood on stage before an exuberant crowd of 2,000 people. Unaware of the poll numbers coming in, I began to sing and within minutes, before my eyes, I watched the mood of an entire audience change from pure joy to unbelievable shock. What was happening? I thought, as a young girl in the audience with the saddest eyes stared back at me. Then it hit me. “Oh my god, Hillary lost?!” And as I stood there in that devastating moment, confused and alone in the spotlight, I knew my story needed to be told.

The Journey!

Working for a political comedy troupe for twenty years gave me a unique perspective on how women were portrayed in politics. Men have always been able to climb the political ladder, while women struggle just to be given the chance. I saw this first hand. Election after election, waiting to portray a female candidate (if there was one) only to be short lived when another male was elected into power. Women were non-existent in politics and unimportant in comedy and that mirrored itself in our show. The stories were about men. The jokes were about men. And no matter how hard I tried to get more women in the show, we were just an afterthought. “Girls aren’t funny!” I heard that so much, that after a while I started to believe it. If a bit didn’t work, putting a man in a dress was always the quick fix. Meanwhile, women were good for three things: holding a prop, being a mistress and portraying the ever invisible First Lady.

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It wasn’t till 2019, when I was impersonating Elizabeth Warren who lost her bid for President, that I decided to write a play and put “pen to paper." Condensing a twenty year story into a two hour show wasn’t easy but I managed. In doing so, I featured as many female political figures as I could, from Monica Lewinsky to Kamala Harris and everyone in between. I was also still performing in the show nightly until March 2020, when Covid-19 hit and the troupe decided to close it’s doors indefinitely. Stunned, confused and without a job, I packed up my life and moved in with my parents.

Over the next few years, trying to survive on 2K or less, I spent countless days and nights in the local library working on the script. Spending whatever I had in saving into creating the Decks, character images and Demo tracks for the script. And slowly, the story grew from a one woman show to a full TV series and now the stage musical.

And as I continue on with the process I've come to realize, I am glad I put that “pen to paper”. For this story needs to be heard. For this story represents generation of female oppression, political or in comedy, a fight we are still fighting today. And as I stand here now on the shoulder's of these fearless women, I realize their fight over the years has allowed me to tell you this story, MY story. For we are strong, we are invincible, we are women!

The Characters!

TRACEY GWEN CLAIRE SUSAN
The Naive Optimist The Unsung Hero The Conformist The Oblivious Boss

ALEX CASH MILES DEAN
The good guy The show-man The newcomer The Misogynistic Ruler

The Story!

Tracey, our ever hopeful comedienne, watches in disbelief as her male co-workers in drag, hijack the few women's roles there are in politics, reducing her to outlandish roles such as Kim Jong ill. While life on the road continues with philandering egotistical actors, Tracey finds herself in some very questionable situations, despite the advice from her actor, now turned corporate friend Gwen. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton announces her bid for president and Tracey's dream becomes a short lived reality forcing her back into the first lady role as Melania Trump. At a loss, she finds solace with Alex, the only male actor who treats her with respect. Yet, when he decides to leave the troupe for reasons of his own and another hopeful female candidate loses her bid, Tracey's world crumbles. Finally, in the end a surprise female candidate emerges onto the scene, causing Tracey to make a profound decision that will lead her to the truth of who she was ultimately meant to be.

ALWAYS A FIRST LADY - DEMO TRACKS

Moving Forward!

So far we have had two informal table readings (one zoom one in person) and recently a staged reading. Where the actors had less than eight hours to learn the songs and get a grasp of the story to read in front of a live audience.

Now we embarking on the biggest challenge yet, a Developmental workshop! Where the actors under the guidance of a director have a full two-week rehearsal period with 3 performances in front of a live audience.

What things cost!

Venue = $2000 +
Artistic Director = $1000 +
Sound / Lighting Designers = $1000 +
Choreographer = $1000 +
Costumes / Set = $400 +
Scripts / Scores = $200 +

Give Love, Get love!

For those who donate $2000 or more you will receive the official AAFL Sweatshirt, Cast signed poster and name in program!

(not exact poster)

For those who donate $1000 or more you will receive the official AAFL Teeshirt and name in program!

For those who donate $500 or more you will will receive the official AAFL coffee mug and name in program!

Support Us!

Please help us bring this story to life and change the narrative. Help female writers get the recognition we deserve and support the female cause. Allow us to rise and show the world who we are made of!

Always A First Lady - A Musical Play

By Tracey Stephens

Always A First Lady - A Musical Play

Developmental Workshop

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Team Members