When I started writing this play in 2018, I tried to imagine what the most famous deceased First Ladies would think of the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally and America’s current fondness for the Confederacy. Another Trump presidency was the last thing I expected. After all, fascism is not supposed to take hold in the land of the free and the home of the brave. But here we are and the play remains timely and urgent.
In 2020, the murder of George Floyd catalyzed a nationwide reckoning with race in America. For a brief moment, it seemed like white Americans were genuinely engaging with the hard truths of Black history, systemic racism, and the unfinished work of justice. But the backlash was swift and ruthless. And now, in 2025, Donald Trump has ridden that backlash all the way to the White House.
This is the world in which First Ladies and The Big White Lie takes the stage. A world where Trump can cancel Defense Intelligence Agency observances of Black History Month and Women's History Month and Varina Davis—the First Lady of the Confederacy—can still make a chillingly relevant statement: “White people shouldn’t feel guilty for being white.” A world where examining history honestly is met with resistance, and where the narratives we tell (or refuse to tell) shape our future.
The play uses satire, history, and biting humor to interrogate the myths we cling to and the lies we tell ourselves. It asks the questions we all have: How is a second Trump administration even possible? What is wrong with our country? And it provides answers.
We invite you to be part of this conversation. First Ladies and The Big White Lie will have staged readings at 7pm on March 12th in Santa Rosa at 6th Street Playhouse (free and general admission), and on March 22nd at Marin Shakespeare in San Rafael at 514 Fourth Street (free and ticketed general admission). Join us for an evening that promises to challenge, entertain, educate, and change the way you see the world.
Get your tickets. Bring a friend. Be part of the dialogue.
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