Deborah: The Mostly True Tale of a Revolutionary Woman

by Elizabeth A. M. Keel

This play is a feisty re-imagining of the life of Deborah Sampson, a real woman who dressed as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War. What happens when your true love is a life under fire? As she straddles the realms of both genders, Deborah embodies mother and warrior, loner and celebrity, wild rover and wife. This rebellious drama embodies her lifelong quest to discover how restless hearts can truly belong...

This play is a feisty re-imagining of the life of Deborah Sampson, a real woman who dressed as a man and fought in the Revolutionary War. What happens when your true love is a life under fire? As she straddles the realms of both genders, Deborah embodies mother and warrior, loner and celebrity, wild rover and wife. This rebellious drama embodies her lifelong quest to discover how restless hearts can truly belong.

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Deborah: The Mostly True Tale of a Revolutionary Woman

Recommended by

  • Michael Gotch: Deborah: The Mostly True Tale of a Revolutionary Woman by Elizabeth A. M. Keel
    “

    Setting aside the fascinating true story of Deborah Sampson, Keel manages to breathe life into her as a theatrical creation--part storyteller, narrator, emcee, and thematic guide--in a graceful and complex way. Equal parts relevant, humorous, insightful and moving, this play finally transcends its origins as simply a biographical document and becomes both an affirmation of present-day challenges facing any number of marginalized voices and a call to keep punching.

    Setting aside the fascinating true story of Deborah Sampson, Keel manages to breathe life into her as a theatrical creation--part storyteller, narrator, emcee, and thematic guide--in a graceful and complex way. Equal parts relevant, humorous, insightful and moving, this play finally transcends its origins as simply a biographical document and becomes both an affirmation of present-day challenges facing any number of marginalized voices and a call to keep punching.

    ”

Character Information

  • Deborah Sampson
    Tall, sturdy, resilient, and secretly soft-hearted.
    16-60
    Female,
    Non-binary
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Hannah Snell
    British, tiny, spry, and wild. An imaginary friend.
    20-40
    Female,
    Non-binary
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Female 1
    This actress plays a variety of roles, including a frayed mother, a school girl, an elderly widow, a wise businesswoman, a daft nurse, and a heckler, among others.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Male 1
    This actor plays a variety of roles, including a dimwitted writer, a drill sergeant, a thief, a kind doctor, a drunk, and Paul Revere, among others.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Male 2
    This actor plays a variety of roles, including a sailor, a bar owner, several soldiers (from lowly recruit to General Knox), a nervous Uncle, and a journalist, among others.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Male 3
    This actor plays a variety of roles, including a terrible stepfather, a school boy, a soldier, a husband and farmer, a journalist, and heckler, among others.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading, The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center/The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol, 2020
  • Reading, Shattered Globe Theatre - Satellite Series, 2019
  • Reading, The Public Theatre of San Antonio (formerly The Playhouse), 2016
  • Residency, 14 Pews, Houston, 2013

Production History

  • Workshop, 14 Pews, Houston, 2013