Previews: CONSCIENCE at Powerstories @Stageworks Theatre

Powerstories Theatre continues its twenty-sixth season of Greater Good with Conscience, Joe DiPietro’s powerful play exploring the resolve and personal sacrifice behind Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s historic 1950 “Declaration of Conscience.” Presented as a staged reading August 14-16, the production brings audiences into the life of a woman who chose principle over popularity during the Red and the Lavender Scare and proved that one voice can leave a lasting mark on history.

For more than two decades, Powerstories Theatre has brought true stories of women and girls to the stage, stories that open minds, connect communities, and inspire action. Conscience continues that mission by introducing audiences to a leader whose words became a defining moment in American politics and a reminder of what it means to speak with integrity.

Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman elected to both the U.S. House and Senate, a lifelong Republican, and a respected public servant who believed deeply in the responsibility of government. In 1950, as the nation faced growing fear and uncertainty during the Cold War, she made the difficult decision to challenge the political climate around her.

As the Senate’s only woman and a freshman senator, Smith stepped onto the Senate floor and delivered her “Declaration of Conscience,” warning against the dangers of fear, character attacks, and abandoning fairness in the pursuit of political gain. Her message was not about opposing national security. It was about protecting the values that define a democracy, including justice, accountability, and the freedom to disagree.

Conscience dramatizes the personal impact of the Lavender Scare, a federal campaign that pushed gay and lesbian employees out of government beginning in the late 1940s. Eisenhower’s 1953 Executive Order 10450 barred gay people from federal jobs, fueling investigations, firings, and forced resignations. Workers faced interrogation, exposure, and laws that branded them threats, ending careers based solely on identity. The policy shaped workplaces nationwide, pressuring many to hide relationships and community ties.

Conscience shows how that climate affected individual lives and the courage it took to resist it.  Smith worked in an environment where her own staff faced the same scrutiny directed at countless LGBTQIA+ Americans, and she fiercely protected her aide, Bill Lewis, a lifelong bachelor, who endured homophobic slurs from McCarthy.

It invites audiences to consider how fear-driven politics affects marginalized communities and how acts of courage inside government can ripple far beyond the halls of power.

Her decision to speak came with consequences. Smith faced criticism from powerful political figures, including Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose tactics she challenged. Her influence was questioned, her motives were attacked, and her career became more difficult. She understood that leadership required more than holding office. It required acting when staying silent would have been easier.

Directed by Powerstories Executive Artistic Director Clareann Despain and starring Roxanne Fay as Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, Stephen Riordan as Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Anna Lauren Sperduto as Jean Kerr, and Mike Bringuier as William Lewis, the production explores not only the historic speech but the personal struggle behind it. DiPietro’s script reveals the human being behind the headline, a woman balancing loyalty, ambition, responsibility, and the knowledge that doing the right thing may come at a cost.

“Margaret Chase Smith’s choice to speak truth to power resonates with Powerstories’ long-standing mission to tell the truth stories of women whose example is both an education and an inspiration. Looking to the past reminds us that even in dark times, there are individuals who have been a guiding light that help us face the challenges in our present.”

Fay brings Smith’s story to life with a performance that captures both the strength and vulnerability of a woman facing an extraordinary choice. Through her portrayal, audiences experience the weight of Smith’s decision and the determination it took to stand firm when compromise would have been easier.

Although Conscience is rooted in a specific moment in history, its themes reach beyond one speech or one era. The play asks timeless questions about leadership, responsibility, and what happens when individuals must decide whether to protect their own comfort or stand up for their beliefs.

For Powerstories Theatre, these are the stories worth telling, stories of individuals who shaped history not through fame or power but through the willingness to speak when silence was safer. Conscience joins the Greater Good season as a reminder that progress often begins with one person willing to act, one moment willing to be remembered, and one voice willing to be heard.

“The reason this show matters so much today is Margaret Chase Smith was willing to sacrifice her personal political ambition for the greater good.”

 Powerstories Theatre presents the PowerUp staged reading of Conscience on August 14-16, with Stageworks sponsoring the venue at 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste 151, Tampa. Learn more and purchase tickets at powerstories.com/conscience.

On Sunday, August 4 at 4pm, join Powerstories on Zoom for Beyond the Story: Conscience, a nonpartisan educational session with Professor Ellen Shrecker, McCarthyism expert. Conversation will focused on Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s 1950 “Declaration of Conscience” and the broader lessons of McCarthyism. RSVP for free event.

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