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.

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.

.

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 and many months in a library, the story grew from a one woman show to a full TV series and now the stage musical, all with Decks and Treatments to match. And as I continue on with the process just days after the 2024 election with tears in my eyes. I am glad I put that “pen to paper” for this story is bigger than I can imagine. For this story represents all the women who have come before me, generations of repression, over and over. And as I stand on the shoulder's of these women, I realize their fight has allowed me to tell you this story and for that, I am eternally grateful. For we are strong, we are invincible, we are women!

ALWAYS A FIRST LADY - A Musical Play

By Tracey Stephens

ALWAYS A FIRST LADY - A Musical Play

A Developmental Workshop