←Recommendations of Jane, Queen's Foole

Powerstories Theatre congratulates Barbara Blatner for being a finalist for the 2026 Voices of Women Festival. Readers commented on: "the blend of history, humor, and emotional complexity that offers something unique for audiences" and declared it "a piece that invites nuance, discovery, and bold female perspectives."

A fascinating, complex piece of theatre. Blatner has rescued Jane from a forgotten corner of history and given her life in this rich piece.

I had the privilege of seeing the livestreamed staged reading of Jane, Queen’s Foole, in the 2023 Centenary Stage's Women's Playwrights Series. Bringing together Mary Tudor, whose life and reign are well-documented, and Jane, about whom little is known, Barbara Blatner has developed the source material into characters whose relationship drives the expertly paced plot. Jane, with her clever and bawdy rhymes, her unsettling understanding of Mary’s “wound,” and her poignant longing for love and friendship, is an unforgettable character. I was completely absorbed by the world--and the women--that Blatner has created in this superb play.

A charming and fascinating period piece about women for and against each other. I felt personally invested in Jane's journey in particular because I felt I could identify with her emotionally as an autistic character who couldn't speak falsely and doesn't understand hierarchy. I also love the physicality and the language, the sensory delights and odors, the muscularity of the langugage, and the diversity of characters from different classes and abilities. There is much truth-telling in this play. I hope it will be produced soon and often.