“Appertaining to Rebels” – The Proclamation Play – November 14, 2025 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
“Appertaining to Rebels” – The Proclamation Play – November 14, 2025 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
Join the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for the premiere of “Appertaining to Rebels”: The Proclamation Play, Friday, November 14, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
What if you were faced with a dangerous and unprecedented path to freedom? The Proclamation Play, written and directed by Abigail Schumann, presents a series of fictionalized first-person interactions exploring the decisions that led to Dunmore’s Proclamation and the consequences in the wake of it.
In November of 1775, Virginia’s last Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, proclaimed that he would grant freedom to enslaved and indentured servants belonging to patriots, if they joined him to take up arms against the American rebels. Using personal stories based on historical sources, this hour-long play explores how Dunmore’s Proclamation offered an unprecedented, and very dangerous, path to freedom.
Immerse yourself in this period of history and consider, “What would you have done?”
Continue the conversation after the play
Join us after the play for a 30-minute discussion of the historic events surrounding Dunmore’s Proclamation and their legacies today. Abigail Schumann, playwright and director, and Harvey Bakari, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation curator of Black History and Culture, will lead the conversation.
Tickets for the premiere performance are $25.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Buy Tickets for The Proclamation Play
William & Mary students with ID and local residents who qualify for free museum admission can purchase a discounted ticket for $20 using code: REBELS at checkout. ID with proof of local zip code required at event check-in. See if you qualify.
Meet the Performers
Adam Canaday
Adam Canaday is a native of Virginia and a professional historian.
Jim Gandolfo
Jim Gandolfo is a nationally-awarded actor and director with over 200 titles to his credit. Jim began his career with First Amendment Improv in New York City before establishing the comedy troupe, In All Seriousness, that opened for Ellen DeGeneres, Lewis Black, Sinbad and others.
His favorite roles include Salieri in “Amadeus,” McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Roy in “Lone Star,” The Man in “The Turn of the Screw,” The King of Siam in “The King and I” and Petruchio in “Kiss Me Kate.”
Abigail Schumann (Writer/Director)
Abigail Schumann is the writer and director of “‘Appertaining to Rebels’: The Proclamation Play.” She specializes in creating plays and programs in support of interpretation and special exhibitions at historic sites and museums. Her past plays for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation include “Slave Spy,” “Mother Tongue,” and “Season of the Witch.”
She has also written plays for Preservation Virginia, Mystic Seaport Museum and numerous works for Colonial Williamsburg, including most recently “The Trial of a Patriot,” and “The Actor’s Lament.”
She is a recipient of the Women in American History Award presented by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Shalandis Wheeler Smith
Shalandis Wheeler Smith is a native of Petersburg, Va. and currently resides in Richmond. She received her bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Norfolk State University.
She is happy to be back working with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, where she first played Angelo in “Mother Tongue.” She has been seen locally in productions with Firehouse Theatre, Richmond Triangle Players, University of Richmond and Swift Creek Mill.
David Stalling
David Stallings has appeared on stage in numerous local theater productions and is currently serving as the president of the Williamsburg Players community theater. Past credits include “Pride and Prejudice,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Les Miserables,” “The 39 Steps,” “City of Angels,” “The Front Page,” “Enchanted April,” “Aida,” “The Spitfire Grill,” “Mack & Mabel,” “First Date,” and “A Christmas Carol.” David has also performed for Colonial Williamsburg in the show “Nimble Toes, Dancing Woes.”
Willie Wright
Willie Wright is supervisor of historical performing in Colonial Williamsburg’s Museum Theater department. In his 20-year career at Colonial Williamsburg, he has portrayed and interpreted the lives of free and enslaved men in a variety of public plays and programs. He also is an accomplished drummer, writer and storyteller.
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
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