Theater Review: A Stake in the Ground: 1774

Last Saturday, July 25, I spent the day at Historic Deerfield (details coming in a few weeks!) and watched the play A Stake in the Ground: 1774. Part of Plays in Place, a New England-based organization founded in 2018, the play was set on site in Deerfield, MA, allowing the audience to see events where they “really happened” over 250 years ago and remember the events leading up to the American Revolution.

The play was divided into three acts, each written by a different playwright. All three revolved around a real historical event, delivering a liberty pole in Deerfield on July 28, 1774 to be erected the next day, only for the pole to be sawn in half overnight. The play covers a range of opinions surrounding the pole, from those who committed the sawing or approved of it, those who were vehemently opposed to it, and those who had much darker things to worry about. The plays were based on a several pages of the nonfiction book, Romance, Remedies, and Revolution: The Journal of Dr. Elihu Ashley of Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1773-1775, edited by Amelia F. Miller and A. R. Riggs, published by University of Massachusetts Press in 2007. I appreciated how the play adhered to the source material while allowing the actors to speak in somewhat modernized dialects, allow audience members to easily understand them.

I was impressed by several aspects of the performance. The costumes worn by the actors appeared accurate yet functional, allowing them to walk between the three outdoor areas serving as stages. The actors were skilled at projecting their voices. Despite my auditory processing disorder, I could easily hear everything they said even while standing across the street or with their backs towards me. The setting allowed for several moments of interaction as actors walked through the crowd or led us down the sidewalk. I even got to hold a blue stone during the middle act, Jinny and Cato by Valyn Lyric Turner, a perk of sitting in the front row. Aspects not strictly part of the performance, including information provided by out-of-costume guides and the talkback session after the play, were all handled expertly.

I have two content notes to bear in mind. First, the play requires walking from the Visitor Center to Ashley House for the first act, then to Allen House for the second act, then to Stebbins House and the Liberty Pole for the third act, and finally back to the Visitor Center for the talkback session. As a notoriously brisk walker, I had no trouble following actors or out-of-costume guides from place to place. However, this 0.8 mile round trip could prove difficult for those with limited mobility, and guests must provide their own transportation. Second, the materials may not be suitable for all audiences, although the dialogue is realistic for the characters and the historical period. The first and third act contain adult humor about the liberty pole and an affair, while the middle act includes descriptions of violence, kidnapping, and enslavement. Use discretion when deciding whether to bring younger children to the event.

A Stake in the Ground: 1774 is performing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from July 10 through August 16. The play begins around 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. It has a run time of about ninety minutes, with each act lasting 20 to 25 minutes and a few minutes of walking time between sites. The talkback session in the visitor center after the play lasts for about fifteen minutes and is a great opportunity to ask questions directly to a producer, museum staff, director, or actor. Before the play, guests can visit the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, part of Historic Deerfield, to see the original clothing that inspired the costumes. As a delicious added bonus, guests can show their playbill at Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern across the street; I highly recommend the Indian Pudding. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for Historic Deerfield members, and $15 for college students and youth 17 and under. This was a fun and educational experience, and I look forward to attending future Plays in Place events.