The Female Pope is a 2024 Pipeline Arts Foundation winner, was presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in 2022, has been a semifinalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center (NMTC), and has had a roundtable at Wellesley College.

The Female Pope, is a groundbreaking new musical written by Shannon Burkett, with a captivating score by Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Richard Rogers and Obie award winning composer, Heather Christian.

It’s the 9th century, and our heroine, young Joan, is being raised by her widowed father, Brother Mark. Astronomy is a budding science, and Joan is enthralled – she dreams of studying the stars.

In a twist of fate, Joan’s father receives an order from the Pope that he must relocate to the dangerous oceanside, where young Joan, who, being a girl, could be killed or worse. Brother Mark begs young Joan to take refuge in the nunnery, but the girl refuses. In a desperate attempt to keep her safe, Joan agrees to dress as a boy, which sets in motion a chain of events that propels Joan all the way to the papacy. Joan hopes an education will help her save all of mankind, but in the end, it’s herself that Joan will need to save.