How did this humble heroine hoodwink the Continental Army?

Audiences  step into the quiet heroics of Massachusetts heroine Deborah Sampson (aka Samson). A child indentured servant who aspired to serve her country by becoming a soldier in The Continental Army, Deborah found herself in a pickle: she wanted the Army but the Army wouldn’t want her! Why? She was a woman! Deborah would have to find a way to fool everyone. And she did.

This portrayal wraps in the concept of principled deception, her strategies, victories and failures as well as farm life for children; a cave with a hidden stash for Tories; refuge in a Tory barn and the constant fear of discovery! See some of the other topics Deborah addresses:

• Childhood as an indentured servant
• A free-spirited woman in Colonial America! Trouble!!
• Her first plan, failure, revised plan, and success!
• Her (elite) position in the Army, keeping her secret
• Close calls and her famous injury
• Corporal Robert Shirtliffe (Deborah): assistant to General Patterson
• The secret’s out!
• Marriage and life as a farmer’s wife in Sharon, MA
• Another “first”!

Deborah’s story dispels many of the myths that circulate about her and places her in relief against a backdrop of traditional Colonial culture. Peppered with props and period games, this interactive performance tells the story behind America’s famous principled deception and reveals the character of the quiet rebel who pulled it off. The students can volunteer to get “into the act” by being the town crier, playing a period game, reading a tongue twister or Colonial-Schoolhouse Rules!