Freeport Theatre Festival kicks off 34th season with patriotic play
“The Red Coats are coming!”
That’s the cry heard loud and clear in a historical drama set to hit the stage Friday as Freeport Theatre Festival presents “Spirit of the Revolution” on July 7-9, 14-16 and 21-23.
The performance kicks off the theater’s 34th summer season and revolves around the story of a Westmoreland County farmer who enlists in George Washington’s Continental Army.
All performances begin at 7 p.m.
The theater is set among rolling, rural hills owned by Rennick and Marushka Steele.
The play was penned by Rennick Steele.
Steele wrote the play to honor his father, who is a descendant of the leading character, James Steele.
“How families endure during the gravest of times is one of the themes running through the play,” Marushka Steele said.
The play focuses on the strength of the women who kept families going at all costs and features action-packed battles that are a slice of Western Pennsylvania history.
Rennick Steele noted many of the brave farmers who joined Washington’s Continental Army fought in the New Jersey and New York campaigns.
“A lot of these local families are descendants from these brave soldiers, including my great-great-great-grandfather, James Steele of Mt. Pleasant. Although this play was written in 1997, we were asked to bring it back for the 250th anniversary of Westmoreland County,” he said.
“Others will realize that our ground is hallowed with the blood of those who came before us. In other words, it’s a wonderful piece of human drama. Heroic,” Marushka Steele said.
The show runs almost three hours but includes a 15-minute intermission and a five-minute pause to separate the acts.
Local youngsters 9 to 14 are members of the cast that includes several families.
The Steeles opened their theater in a former machinery barn 34 years ago.
Seating is available for about 100 patrons. The barn features air conditioning and often features shows with a historical, family-oriented theme.
The show is suitable for all ages but does include some battle scenes.
“Our liberty was not won without a battle, and there are plenty of battles in the production,” Rennick Steele said.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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