Theater in the Colonies

The Sound of the Common People

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore how music connected ordinary people in colonial Virginia. Familiar tunes played in taverns, marketplaces, and ports brought communities together and helped create a shared identity as the colonies moved toward revolution.

Revolution at Sea: Norfolk's Richard Dale

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we tell the story of Richard Dale, a Norfolk County sailor who rose from the merchant trade to become one of America’s first naval heroes. From captivity and escape during the Revolution to service under John Paul Jones and leadership in the early United States Navy, Dale’s career helped shape America’s future at sea.

The End of War: The Moore House

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore the Moore House at Yorktown, where officers from Britain, France, and the American forces negotiated the surrender terms that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. Inside a quiet farmhouse, decisions were made that reshaped the future of a nation.

Theater in the Colonies

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore Williamsburg’s colonial playhouse and the entertainment culture that flourished before the American Revolution. Theater, music, and performance connected Virginians to the wider British world until war transformed the city and brought the curtain down on a fading colonial era.

Great Dismal Swamp: Refuge Amongst Revolution

On Revolution 250: Stories from The First Shore, we explore the Great Dismal Swamp and the hidden communities that formed there during the Revolutionary era. As colonists tried to reshape the land for profit, people escaping slavery built lives within the swamp, beyond the reach of the society they fled.