This production of Kings Mountain and the exhibit located in the Barter Lounge was made possible through the generous support of the VA 250 Commission.

Governor Abigail Spanberger

The Honorable Terry L. Austin, Chair

The Honorable Mamie E. Locke, Vice Chair

Carly Fiorina, VA 250 National Honorary Chair

Before working on this play I had no idea of how complicated and muddled our revolution was.

• In addition to the Patriots fighting for The Colonies, a large section of the population were Loyalists – loyal to England and its King. Neighbors and family members were the people who occupied the battlefields on both sides.
• The institution of slavery as it existed in the colonies. A group of people were fighting for the rights bestowed upon each individual at birth. But how can the very people who fight for their own “God given” rights deny those same rights to other humans because of skin color? Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, wrote her influential husband making clear her view of the institution: “I wish most sincerely there was not a slave in this province. It always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me – to fight, ourselves, for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have.”
• There was no official way to deal with prisoners of war. There was no Geneva Convention (1929) that dictated how prisoners should be treated. The absence of protocols meant that prisoners taken, on both sides, were subject to barbaric and inhumane conditions.
• Until the American Revolutionary War there had never been a revolution that resulted in a democratic republic. There had been revolutions that resulted in monarchy or authoritarian rule. And there had been republics that were run by elected officials but not as a result of revolution. But there had never been a free population with the power of representation – voting rights – as the result of revolution.

Considering the above points, I ask: how in the world could a loose collection of colonies come together in solidarity against the strongest military force on earth? I believe the answer is this: liberty. Somewhere, deep in the hearts of the Patriots, the dim light of Liberty shone in the distant future. As William Campbell opines in the play that you will see today, “Liberty. The right to create one’s own destiny. Swearing allegiance not to king and crown but to one’s own ambition”. Liberty cut through the muddle and served as a beacon for the endgame. The possibility of liberty – was bright enough to shine through the blur of chaos.

- John Hardy, Director of Kings Mountain

Rebecca Boone, Samuel Chambers, et al
Emma Massey

John Sevier, George Washington, Mary Patton, et al
Ashley Campos*

Liza Broddy, Isaac Shelby, Aunt Sally, et al
Monte Escalante*

John Broddy, Innes, et al
Vince McGill*

Daniel Boone, William Campbell, et al
Tyler Cramer

Cornwallis, Bartholomew Chambers, et al
Sam McCalla*

Adam, Major Patrick Ferguson, et al
LeVane Harrington*

*Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors, and Stage Managers in the United States.

Director/Dramaturg
John Hardy

Scenic Designer
Derek Smith

Costume Designer
Sarah Maurer

Lighting Designer
Andrew Morehouse

Sound Designer
Seth Hutton

Music Director
Ben Mackel

Playwright
Catherine Bush

Fight Choreographer
Sean Maximo Campos

Dialect Coach
Zacchaeus Kimbrell

Production Stage Manager
Cindi A. Raebel*

Producing Artistic Director of Barter Theatre
Katy Brown

* Denotes members of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors, and Stage Managers in the United States.

Wardrobe Supervisor
Chelsea Bannan

Production Assistant
Anika Jones

Lighting and Sound Operator
Shawn Glenn Martin Knost

Production Assistant
Rebekah Williams

Dresser
Roya Zafar

Production Sponsors

NANCY ARNOLD