Racing the Night: The Teenage Girl who Saved the Revolution (Virginia Beach)

By the spring of 1781, the War for Independence had dragged into its fifth year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence (the sixth since Lexington and Concord) and had effectively ground to a stalemate. With George Washington and British General Henry Clinton locked in a standoff in New York, the fate of the war rested on the shoulders of British General Cornwallis and his staggering 7,500 troops making their way to Virginia to capture and hold Yorktown from the colonists. His only resistance came from French General le Marquis de Lafayette fighting on behalf of the Americans with a much smaller complement of untrained militiamen. By late September 1781, General Lafayette and General Washington would win the decisive victory for American independence at Yorktown – a battle that almost didn’t happen.

“Racing the Night” is the unbelievably true story of Susanna Bolling, a 16-year-old girl who found herself in possession of information that could change the course of the war. Follow Susanna’s story in this vibrant and gripping new half-hour mini- musical by composer/playwright Gary Spell. Set in revolutionary Virginia, “Racing the Night” tells the tale of Susanna’s secret midnight ride to outsmart British forces and deliver crucial intelligence to the Continental Army. With a dynamic score and an all-teen cast, “Racing the Night” celebrates the power of youthful courage and unsung heroism, proving that even the quietest voices can echo through history. It may be the most important Revolutionary War story you’ve never heard.