Theatre and history buffs are offering rave reviews of the one-woman, nationally touring play, “A Revolution of Her Own.” It’s based on the life and undercover military service of Deborah Sampson, the first woman to fight in an American war as a professional soldier.
Performed by actress and historian Judith Kalaora, the storyline is centered around Sampson, who served in the Continental Army in 1782 during the American Revolutionary War, disguised as a man enlisted under the name Robert Shurtleff.
“I’ve been portraying Deborah Sampson for 20 years, and my interest really comes from a fascination with the military,” said Kalaora, founder of the theatre company “History at Play, LLC,” in an interview with Military.com. “I’m kind of a military nerd.”
Kalaora’s performance, most recently on stage in Setauket, New York, is active, riveting and based on historical fact, inspired by Sampson’s bravery amid the dangers of war. Sampson served as an infantry scout, was wounded in action, and hid her identity for 17 months until being discovered during a doctor’s visit. Still, Sampson received an honorable military discharge and, two decades after the war, became the only woman awarded a full soldier’s pension.
“She not only fights, but she decides that hiding her true identity is a less worse fate than having the opportunity to have a life and a career,” said Kalaora. “I hope audience see her, see the rigors of war, and how difficult it was for her to persevere.”
History Lesson Based on Real-Life Character
As history shows, Sampson was helped in a variety of ways. Mostly by the country’s desperation to enlist soldiers to fight, practically overnight.
“There were a lot of shortages of soldiers toward the end of the war, and because of that, the requirements, the physical and social checks were lax,” said Kalaora. “In the final years of the American Revolutionary War, Deborah bound her chest, tied back her hair, and, wearing male attire, enlisted in the Massachusetts 4th Regiment of the Continental Army. It was a risk she was willing to take.”
The play about Sampson’s life simply showcases her determination to serve her country at all odds, and in an arena officially reserved for men.
“Women did fight, Deborah fought. People think women didn’t, but they did go to war. They just it in disguise,” said Kaloara. “Women were not allowed to enlist. But they found a way to serve anyway.”
Kalaora is in disguise herself, donning period costumes of military uniforms in real-time on stage, transforming herself as a woman into a man, just as Sampson did in real life.
“It’s a one-woman production that’s physically demanding with all of the accoutrements of combat, except the weapons are pantomimed to simulate the reality of war,” Kalaora said. “But even in disguise, Deborah was a force to be reckoned with. She was a laborer, stronger than the average woman, a hunter and quite a good shot. So she had a lot of the skills that were needed for a soldier.”
Interest in Deborah Sampson Sparked by Curiosity
An acting major at Syracuse University, Kalaora began her career as a tour guide on the Freedom Trail in Boston, exposing herself to all kinds of historical figures. But Sampson’s story stood out.
“I was curious. I saw her as a woman who was completely desperate to live life, to have a career, to be independent,” Kalaora recalled. “Her story of independence is so aligned with the country’s story of independence.”
Years later, Kalaora would start her own theatre company, making Sampson’s story a cornerstone of her work.
“I love it, it’s my career. She’s been my life for 20 years. It took her 20 years to get a military pension and it’s been 20 years for me to get her some recognition through my performances,” said Kalaora. “Every day I get to portray her is the best day of my life.”
For Kalaora, she gets to honor a woman who sacrificed so much for our country, while at the same time, sharing the life of an American hero with audiences far and wide.
“Every single thing that was done in history set us up for the country we have now,” she said. “Through the failures and successes, we’ve grown so much as a nation, and it was because of people like Deborah. When you use the story of one person and what they were able to accomplish, it gives you a sense of how one person can inspire and can make a difference.”
A schedule of upcoming performances can be found at www.judithkalaora.com.
