A Simple Herstory

From outsiders to insiders, and outsiders again, these are the women who ran. A Simple Herstory is a theatrical and high concept podcast series about the women who have run for President of the United States. More than one hundred women have run for President of the United States, but their stories are rarely heard. So, what if they decided to correct the record and take matters into their own hands? A Simple Herstory might start as a polite podcast about women’s history, a cursory dip into some forgotten “badass women.” It soon (d)evolves, however, into a hostile takeover of the mic, as this season's leading subject, Victoria Woodhull, the first female presidential candidate, demands to have the entirety of her story told. This means the abuse, the narcissism, the sex, and the criminality — and not just the you go, girl bits fit for broadcast. A Simple Herstory is as much about these women, who have been locked inside “his story,” as it is about liberating complicated biographies from their deceptively neat packages. It's the story of real human beings, free from the tropes and agendas that reduce complicated figures to cartoons. (Or is it?) In order to win, does a woman have to be a perfect candidate? To earn our reverence, must her story be sugar coated? Season 1 is an eight-parter that you'll want to devour in one gulp. Once it builds momentum, it's hard to stop. The total running time is 2 hours, 40 minutes. A Simple Herstory features Florencia Lozano as Victoria Woodhull alongside performances from Jacqueline Antaramian, Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, Kate Burton, Erin Cherry, Veanne Cox, Rachel Crowl, Maria Dizzia, Danielle Ferland, Yetta Gottesman, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Jennifer Ikeda, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Louise Lasser, Kyra Miller, Zainab Musa, Tonya Pinkins, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Socorro Santiago, Dale Soules, Carmelita Tropicana, Ching Valdes-Aran, and Kara Young. (Erin Cherry as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper is the recapper). Season 1 direction by Donya K. Washington; Season 1 text written & developed by Jonathan A. Goldberg; Season 1 technical direction & sound design by Jane Shaw; Season 1 music by David Poe; Additional music by Jane Shaw; Season 1 mastering by Joshua Horvath; Season 1 casting by Florencia Lozano; Season 1 producing advisement by Jenny Turner Hall; Season 1 line producing by Jenny Turner Hall, Jocelyn Kuritsky, & Donya K. Washington; Season 1 additional production support by Florencia Lozano, David Poe, Jonathan A. Goldberg, Kyra Miller, Jack Doulin, Meghan Finn, Danielle King, Johnny G. Lloyd, more. Jocelyn Kuritsky, Creator & Executive Producer; Jonathan A. Goldberg, Executive Producer; Jenny Turner Hall, Executive Producer; Donya K. Washington, Executive Producer; Jane Shaw, Executive Producer. A Simple Herstory is Produced by The Muse Project + Presented by The Tank.