She Outplayed the Boys
She prevailed and did not give up! This admirable woman kept going regardless of the abrasive, male chauvinism that poured in from her teammates as well as the all-White crowds — not to mention the sexism on top of the bigotry of the 1950s.
Self-empowered, Toni Stone kept going and made a mark in history by becoming the first American female professional baseball player, and her career began with the Indianapolis Clowns.
For the first time locally, Toni’s courageous story full of triumphs, challenges, sisterhood, and love is being introduced through the Indy Black Theater Collective, a creative space dedicated to elevating Black stories.
“I didn’t know about Toni Stone,” tells Ben Rose, Founding and Artistic Director of Indy Black Theater Collective. “I was kind of shocked when a friend told me about the play. I think this is a really good piece to bring to the Indianapolis community because it is our history.”
PsyWrn Simone, the actress, vocalist, and lyricist who plays Toni explains the significance of this role, “As an artist, one of my central focuses is always highlighting our stories. I love to tell our stories the whole expanse of it.”
“Then to find out the local connection — that she played for the Indianapolis Clowns, it’s a personal connection to me. So much of her story and her upbringing and being a woman athlete in a sport that’s dominated by men.”
“I played basketball growing up, and the whole tomboy, playing with the boys, and all the misogyny… being told what you can and can’t do, and having to constantly fight I can relate to, and Toni was able to find her way and create her own lane,” says PsyWrn.
Another powerful theme of the play is the importance of real friendship and sisterhood. D’yshe Mansfield, who plays Millie, shares, “She is essentially Toni’s best friend. Her first female friend and she sees Toni in a way that Toni has not seen herself. She’s a night worker, but she’s confident and has been through some things on her own and deals with them in a way that others might not fully understand.”
PsyWrn adds, “I think Millie is also an interesting juxtaposition in her profession and her character and we get opportunities in the show to see that. It’s easy to reduce her down to her profession and to make whatever judgments you want to make about that, but Millie is a very smart woman and very learned woman, and a lot of her learning has come through life experiences.”
Be sure to get your tickets now. Toni Stone runs from September 19 - October 6.
Also, keep an eye on Indy Black Theatre company for other events such as the American Black Playwrighting competition, the Solo’s Festival in January, and other 2025 productions.
Mira is a survivor of domestic violence, a religious trauma specialist, an empowerment coach, a motivational speaker, and a writer. Mira acts as an advocate, connector, and coach for victims and survivors guiding them to helpful resources including her own private coaching platform.