Neighbor News
Gripping political drama ‘Conscience’ gets L.A. premiere
Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro's gripping political drama about the woman who defied Joseph McCarthy comes to life at ICT.
LONG BEACH, Calif. (July 14, 2026) — At a time when fear and political intimidation silenced many voices in Washington, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith chose to speak. On June 1, 1950, the Republican senator from Maine became the first to publicly rebuke Sen. Joseph McCarthy on the Senate floor, condemning his tactics in a speech that became known as the “Declaration of Conscience.”
International City Theatre presents the Los Angeles premiere of Tony Award®-winning playwright Joe DiPietro’s fast-paced drama about trailblazing Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, whose “Declaration of Conscience” speech became a defining act of political courage. Directed and produced by caryn desai, Conscience runs August 28 through September 13, with low-priced preview performances on August 26 and 27.
Fast-paced and emotionally charged, Conscience explores political courage, personal conviction and the personal cost of speaking truth to power. It also highlights Smith’s groundbreaking role as a woman in American politics. She was the first woman elected from Maine to Congress and later to the U.S. Senate and, in 1950, the only woman serving among the Senate’s 96 members.
Reflecting on Smith's defining moment, DiPietro says her speech remains one of the most remarkable events in modern political history.
“It was an electrifying moment, not only because a member of the Senate had criticized McCarthy when he was at the height of his power, but because Smith was a moderate conservative and a fellow Republican. They were in the same party, and she still had the guts to go against him.”
Conscience runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., August 28 through September 13. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and Thursday, Aug. 27, both at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $56 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except opening night (Friday, Aug. 28), and $59 on opening night and at Sunday matinees. Low-priced tickets to previews are $44.
International City Theatre performs in the Beverly O'Neill Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center at 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.
