Drama Queens, a five-star arts journal focusing on female artists

NEW YORK, NY — As the United States prepares to mark its 250th milestone birthday, a critically acclaimed musical tracking the ultimate expansion of American democracy is set to make its highly anticipated New York City debut.

A Vote of Her Own, a sweeping, historically precise musical chronicling the final, explosive battlefield to ratify the 19th Amendment, arrives at The Producers Club (358 West 44th Street) for one day only on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Presented as a spotlight event of the Next Step Theatre Festival, this powerful piece of musical theater brings its globally recognized score to local audiences with two exclusive performances at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

Admission is $25, with limited open seating available via the festival’s official box office.

The Story: The Nashville Pressure Cooker

In the sweltering summer of 1920, the eyes of an entire nation turned to Nashville, Tennessee. Thirty-five states had ratified the 19th Amendment, leaving the country precisely one state short of the constitutional threshold required to grant women the right to vote. Tennessee was the final battleground. What seemed like a guaranteed victory quickly dissolved into a brutal political storm as heavily funded, deeply organized anti-suffrage forces descended on the city to stall the vote.

A Vote of Her Own compresses this intense, high-stakes six-week campaign into a fast-paced, breathless theatrical narrative. Built entirely upon foundations of primary source materials—including historical diaries, personal letters, floor speeches, and contemporary newspaper accounts—the musical follows women from all walks of life fighting against backroom corruption, political blackmail, intense corporate lobbying, and deep-seated racial tensions.

The piece intentionally highlights the complex, often overlooked intersectional dynamics of the movement. The words of pioneering African American community organizer Frankie J. Pierce are beautifully adapted into stirring musical numbers, creating a sharp, intentional dramatic contrast with the fierce anti-suffrage rhetoric of Josephine Pearson and the warning calls of suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt. Ultimately, the ratification passes by the narrowest single-vote margin, rendering a historical milestone that feels nothing short of miraculous.

From Award-Winning Global Film to the NYC Stage

Before making its physical leap to the New York theater scene, A Vote of Her Own conquered the international indie film circuit. A recorded debut performance of the production captured global critical attention, raking in an astonishing 15 international independent film festival awards and honors.

The piece took home top prizes across the globe, including Best Historical/Period Film at the Hollywood Indie Film Festival, Best Feature Film About Women in Paris, Best Woman’s Empowerment Film in Berlin, and coveted Best Composer titles in Cannes, Miami, and Montreal.

The Creative Pioneers: Unpacking the Sonic Landscape

The magic of the production relies heavily on its creators’ deep-seated commitment to historical preservation through art.

Playwright & Co-Songwriter: Candace Corrigan

An award-winning media producer, singer-songwriter, and actress, Candace Corrigan has spent over four decades blending meticulous historical research with creative performing arts. Her career has consistently prioritized amplifying the evolution of American women’s rights. From her acclaimed public radio documentaries like The Perfect 36 to touring theatrical pieces built from the archival diaries of pioneer women, Corrigan’s signature style infuses authentic, historic human voices into gripping musical structures.

Co-Songwriter: Janne Henshaw

An internationally touring singer-songwriter and dedicated music educator, Janne Henshaw holds a Master of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology. Her scholarly and artistic background was instrumental in meticulously shaping the sonic landscape of A Vote of Her Own.

To ground modern New York audiences in the regional reality of 1920s Tennessee, Henshaw and Corrigan composed a rich score utilizing the popular musical idioms of the era. The musical seamlessly blends ragtime, the Charleston, blues, barbershop harmonies, Tin Pan Alley pop, and traditional old-time string band music. Backed by lush orchestration from the Middle Tennessee Sinfonietta, the live musical landscape features a vibrant mix of Dixieland brass, clarinet, piano, guitar, violin, and banjo.

“It was essential for us to immerse the audience in the authentic sounds of 1920 so that someone from that era would feel completely at home,” notes Henshaw. “These songs illuminate the passions, power struggles, and intense debates that surrounded this landmark expansion of American democracy.”

Director Valerie Adami-Juhlin on “The Miracle of Casting”

Bringing this historical engine to life on the New York stage falls into the capable hands of veteran director Valerie Adami-Juhlin, representing Break A Leg Productions. For Adami-Juhlin, mounting a historical drama about long-term struggle and monumental commitment required an authentic emotional anchor within the cast.

“There’s a saying that 90% of directing is casting,” Adami-Juhlin explains. “I was lucky enough to secure actors Anne and Keith, who are actually married in real life. I’ve worked with both of them before separately, but together they bring their shared life experience directly onto the stage. A marriage is for better and for worse; it’s a lifetime of sharing every emotion with someone and being better because of it. They bring that exact kind of magic, trust, and deep foundational commitment to the heavy themes of this play.”

Timely Echoes and Radical Cooperation

Though A Vote of Her Own functions as a period piece set over a century ago, its themes remain shockingly contemporary. Modern audiences will instantly recognize the political maneuvering, misinformation campaigns, and fierce societal polarization that mirror today’s cultural and political landscapes.

“There is never a bad time to revisit our history—especially one that many Americans were never properly taught,” says Corrigan. “Songs like Dirty Tricks of Politics and the title track stay with people because they realize how little has changed. At its core, it delivers a timeless message of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity.”

The NYC premiere is made possible by the Next Step Theatre Festival’s signature framework of “radical cooperation.” By completely upending the traditional, isolating, and cost-prohibitive model of independent theater production, the festival brings indie writers together to share resources, production expenses, and marketing power. This communal approach enables vital, marginalized, and independently produced history plays to bypass mainstream industry gatekeepers and land triumphantly on the New York stage.

Production Summary

• What: A Vote of Her Own – An original historical musical by Candace Corrigan and Janne Henshaw
• Director: Valerie Adami-Juhlin (Break A Leg Productions)
• When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM (One Day Only)
• Where: The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York, NY
• Admission: $25 (Limited open seating)
• Sponsors: The Suffrage Coalition, Inc., Creative Communities, Inc., and the General Francis Nash Chapter of the DAR.

To catch a preview of the music and the sweeping historical narrative ahead of its New York premiere, you can watch the official promo for A Vote of Her Own is going to New York City. This clip outlines the production’s journey from a multi-award-winning filmed feature to a live stage production in the heart of Manhattan.