At Plays for New Audiences, we're proud to support female voices. We believe that every story deserves to be told, and we're committed to providing opportunities for women to share their unique perspectives and experiences with the world. On this International Women's Day, we want to recognize the incredible contributions of women in the theatre and encourage more women to pursue their dreams of creating and sharing their stories onstage and off.
To celebrate, we compiled a list of our favorite plays featuring mighty girls who take a stand for what they believe in and change the world!
A Little Princess
by Ashley Griffin
Young Sara Crewe would much rather spend time exploring her imagination than start her new boarding school at Miss Minchin's Academy! Before leaving to join the war, Sara's mother assures her that all girls are princesses and reminds her to be brave in the face of monsters. Through her mother's absence, Sara takes solace in her stories and new friends. But when her mother dies in the war, Sara is forced to work at the school as a servant. Can she still be a princess as a servant? As she struggles to adjust to her new life, Sara discovers what it truly means to be a princess through bravery and kindness.
Akeelah and the Bee
by Cheryl L. West
Akeelah has a crazy passion for words: the more abstruse and labyrinthine, the better. But this gift is almost overwhelmed by the challenge of her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her a spot in the National Spelling Bee, which inspires the people in her neighborhood with her courage and tenacity.
Buccaneers
by Liz Duffy Adams
Enid Arabella refuses to be stuck in some home for children, so she runs off and is captured by the horrible pirate Captain Johnny Johne and his young crew. Using her wits, Enid Arabella not only evades an early demise, but tricks the Captain into falling off the ship. Now on their own, the child pirates claim themselves to be buccaneers and make Enid Arabella their captain! This rousing pirate musical, with a score drawn from sea shanties and music from around the world, is an inspiring tale of female empowerment and leadership—with plenty of swashbuckling to boot.
Chile Pod
by Rhiana Yazzie
Like many San Diegans, Carmen and her family moved from Mexico for a better life. But unlike her classmates, Carmen speaks neither English or Spanish: she speaks Mixtec, a language of the indigenous people of Oaxaca. Frustrated and confused, Carmen must become the heroine of her own story, embracing her heritage while learning to make a home in a whole new world.
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
by Tina Howe
Taken from a Norwegian folk tale, this story of a young girl sent away by her mean-spirited mother to live with the enchanting trolls. The girl falls in love with a prince, who is himself enchanted by a troll, and she follows him to the land east of the sun and west of the moon to save him from a dismal fate.
Harriet the Spy
by Leslie Brody
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
Little Women
by Marisha Chamberlain
Louisa May Alcott’s chronicle about the March family in Civil War New England. Four sisters: pretty Meg, practical Jo, shy Beth, and vain little Amy, live with their mother and housekeeper while their father is away in the war. Jo is an avid writer who aspires to be a famous author someday and live an independent life. Meg looks towards a more traditional future as a wife with children. Sweet Beth is content to stay at home and play the piano. Amy wants the attention of her elder sisters and is quite mischievous when she is not included. All four girls are very different, yet they remain a close-knit family.
Stamping, Shouting, and Singing Home
by Lisa Evans
Inspired by the life of Sojourner Truth, the well-known abolitionist and early feminist, it tells the story of her fictitious great-great-granddaughter Lizzie Walker, and her transformation from child to adult activist in the Southern States of America. Through the songs and stories of the women in her family, Lizzie comes to understand the importance of her own past and her place in history.
The Day the Waters Came
by Lisa Evans
It’s summer 2005. Maya Marsalis takes you by the hand and leads you through her landscape the day Hurricane Katrina came, the levees broke and the world watched. Go with her as she shows you how her world and that of thousands of African-American citizens changed forever, the day the waters came.
The Hundred Dresses
by Mary Hall Surface
Wanda Petronski just wants to join the fun of having friends like everyone else. But in 1930’s small town America, a Polish immigrant doesn’t easily fit in. When Maddie’s best friend Peggy starts to tease Wanda, Maddie knows it isn’t right. She soon realized that allowing her friend to be a bully can be just as bad as acting that way herself. Determined not to let her fear get the best of her again, Maddie braves the scorn of her classmates and stands up to them, making an unlikely friend in the process.
Find these titles and more at playsfornewaudiences.org!