Turning of the Tide

What you are about to witness is a play without a hero.

At this, the quarter-millennial of the great American experiment, we propose to you the story of the Revolution told through presence and absence – a history with many variants, belonging to many different groups of people: immigrants, women, people of color, pacifists, and those whose names are consigned to the margins of the Grand Narrative, or excluded altogether. Instead of the canon stories, we offer, in the spirit of the Revolution, names and stories no less true, which go beyond those of our venerated soldiers and statesmen. As Tom Paine’s bones would tell you, the Enlightenment made manifest is this: Every story is worth telling, and every person the hero of their history. Subsequently, our collective national history is one of tangled heroes with tangled hopes, less a narrative thread than a narrative blanket. By inviting you, the audience, to “step into” these places and scenes of history, we hope to offer a telling beyond the linear. 

While this is not a tale of men in wigs signing things (indeed, the giants of our national nativity will not be seen, but may well be felt), our intention as writers is not to dismiss the stories of our Framers. Rather, we hope to highlight that there was a time before the fixed canonization of our founding fathers – a time when our history consisted not of mythic figures, but of ordinary individuals. In the form and the function of this play, we offer you this reminder: The heroes of our Revolution were Americans, no less than those that came before, and no more than those that came after. The only difference, beyond the biases and smoothing-over imparted by two-and-a-half centuries of tellings and retellings, is the simple heroism in avowing that all are created equal, and unalienably deserving of life, of liberty, and of the pursuit of happiness. In the articulation and wholehearted pursuit of this creed, our founders (great and small) found their apotheosis, and became heroes. To name and seek out freedom, to stamp out injustice, and to work towards the building of a better world – these are the oldest and noblest ideals of America. And even in the most ordinary of stories, these ideals are the hallmark of heroes.

Enjoy the play.

-Dr. Krysta Dennis & Simon Meisel ‘25, Playwrights

When people say "The Revolutionary War" they often think of the first shots that rang out at Lexington and Concord or George Washington crossing the Delaware. For us locals, it might even conjure thoughts of the Battle of Saratoga, the backdrop for this production. Do we think of Molly Rinker or the Shakers, however? When we hear the name Tadeusz Kosciuszko do we recognize it? History is often filled with untold stories like those just given, folks who may have shaped history but, due to various reasons, will go forgotten. A Turning of the Tide takes us back, telling these forgotten narratives and allowing us to witness the lives of those less famous but just as important. The backdrops of this show, Mabee Farm and Shaker Heritage Site also take us to the pockets of history that are in our backyard that we so often forget exist.

As a personal hobby, I love history. I have read countless stories of those who came before me that shaped the world we live in today. My favorite practice while reading is to insert myself into the world, imaging what it must have been like to live in these historic moments. is just that, an imaginative step into the past in which we, the audience, can picture what it must have actually been like for the people of this time. Throughout the process I was drawn to the little facts that create the world of the show, the fact that the British soldiers had to sail three months before setting foot on the continent, that the area was more wilderness than civilization, that there were those who wished to go on with their lives rather than be wrapped into the chaos of conflict. The more I placed myself into the world, the more I was drawn to these characters.

So, I invite you to place yourself in this historical moment when the course of the Americas was changed forever. Listen to the stories of those who had a hand in it, and those who merely wished to enjoy the newfound freedom of this new land. A battle is coming, the world is changing, and the tide is about to turn.

-Michael Anderton, Director

In 2026, the 250th “birthday” of the United States, our audiences can have the opportunity to step back in time. This immersive play with music takes place on the eve of the Battle of Saratoga, the battle that many regard as the turning point in the war that led to America gaining its long-awaited independence. The year is 1777, the third year of the armed conflicts between the British, the colonists, and both sides’ allies. We are only one day away from the Battle of Bemis Heights, with General Burgoyne’s planned attack being fresh on the brain for British troops.

Tensions are at an all-time high, with animosity between the warring sides leading to serious hostilities both on and off the battlefield. A French playwright and Polish engineer come from the recently fallen Fort Ticonderoga, but are ready and willing to look forward to the next conflict in favor of their colonial allies. The British have commandeered a tavern where they drunkenly boast about their side’s agenda, and the woman they least expect to relays it to the other side. The Shakers have migrated from Britain to the Colonies, but have not received the warmest of welcomes. Instead of taking place during the turning point of the war, this play takes place right before this moment. With the anticipation for the battle looming, despite a contemporary audience’s knowledge of what is to come, everything feels as if it is on the line. The conventionally acknowledged historical figures are merely mentioned via the perspectives of the lesser known figures, accompanied by an array of original characters that all come together to provide multiple unique perspectives.

-Aiden Peterson, Dramaturg

Jean Remy Monnay

Cece Tkaczyk and Cece's Wool

Aidan Forrest

Russel Sage

The Costumer

Barbara Boughton and Willow the sheep