Landmark Work · 2004–present
A Single Woman
The Jeannette Rankin story — written in response to the October 2002 Afghanistan bombings, toured to 53 countries across five continents, and adapted into a feature film.
Premiered at Oats Park Arts Center, Fallon, Nevada, on February 7, 2004, and staged Off-Broadway at The Culture Project, New York, in 2005 — with Cameron Crain as Everyman in Nevada and Neal Mayer in New York.
Jeanmarie performed the play more than 250 further times worldwide with variable ensemble support, including at CalArts as a Surdna Distinguished Guest Artist. It won “Best Theatrical Surprise” from the Sacramento News & Review.
Jeanmarie wrote, executive-produced, and starred in the feature adaptation — with Judd Nelson on camera, storyteller voices by Martin Sheen and Patricia Arquette, and music contributed by Joni Mitchell, alongside Peter Coyote, Karen Black, Frances Fisher, Mimi Kennedy, Elizabeth Peña, and Margot Kidder. The final scene features Jeanmarie’s grandson, transformed into a baby made of bread — after Rankin’s own words: “Civilization needs peace as bread needs yeast.”
“It’s masterful acting… Simpson takes the life of Rankin and breathes freshness into Rankin’s every belief.”
Berkeley Daily Planet
“Simpson’s timing and emotion are intense and flawless… audiences will probably look at war in a different light.”
Reno News and Review