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PLAYS by Meredith Bean McMath

ALL FOR THE UNION in Confederate Virginia!

By Meredith Bean McMath

Of Quakers and Confederates - Above L to R: Nani Power as Lizzie Dutton, Morgan El-Shafey as Maggie Loden, Lindsay Long as Sarah Steer, Abigail Seymour as Lida Dutton, John Power as John Mobberly, Christian Amonson as Gabriel Moss, Phil Erickson as Martin Barlow, and Ben Huntington as Lieut. John Milbrowe.

History comes to life in ALL FOR THE UNION, taken from the pages of Loudoun County, Virginia Civil War history. The play traces the true escapades of three young pro-Union journalists - Lida and Lizzie Dutton and Sarah Steer - who found their own, unique way to fight the Confederacy.

They dealt with foraging rebels and burning raids, cared for wounded soldiers, assisted with the Underground Railroad, and created the only known Union newspaper to ever be published from Confederate Virginia. From the summer of 1864 to the end of the conflict, they managed to smuggle at least eight drafts of The Waterford News across the Potomac River for printing. Despite starving conditions in Loudoun, they took the subscription monies and sent them north to Soldiers' Aid.

Heroes are made when right choices are made in difficult circumstances. Thanks to the preservation of Loudoun history, we're able to celebrate the heart of these heroes - the young women who vowed to do life justice despite all odds (Read a Review of the 1997 original production, The Waterford Girls: All For the Union in Confederate Virginia!).

1 & 1/2 hour production (rev. 2003 ): 8 women, 10 men, 1 girl age 10-12, 1 boy age 11 to 13.

Production History: 1997 - The Growing Stage, Inc., Purcellville, VA, Directed by Dolly Stevens; 2000 - Produced by Mimi Westervelt for The Waterford Foundation, Directed by Sara Gomez; 2003 - Produced by The Lincoln Preservation Foundation, Directed by Meredith Bean McMath.

For performance rights, contact Meredith Bean McMath at meredith@storyroot.com

More on ALL FOR THE UNION -

A VIDEO of the 2000 production featuring music by Morning Star Consort.
ARTICLE on the true history of Lida, Lizzie and Sarah: Bent on Having Their Own Way: Three Women Journalists of the Civil War.
FIRST PRODUCTION HISTORY: Making a Play on Things.
INFORMATION on WATERFORD, VIRGINIA (including books on the history of Civil War Waterford and a compendium of The Waterford News newspapers): The Waterford Foundation.