THE LOYALS

A note from the
Playwright, Allison Gregory

Meet Peggy Shippen: young, bright, socially prominent, politically ambivalent. At eighteen she becomes Mrs. Benedict Arnold – but wait, is she a knowing partner in her infamous husband’s outrageous attempt to destroy a country fighting for its independence? Or is she a naïve spouse, betrayed along with George Washington and the rest of America? And how does she get her hair so high?

Why dust off a two-hundred & forty-year-old piece of the past? Based on historic people and events and set during the American Revolution, The Loyals is a satirical look at extreme nationalism in a painfully divided country. Sound familiar? Undressing rabid patriotism, constitutional provocation, espionage, and the greatest act of disloyalty our very young country had ever seen, this play is my imperative response to our current political dynamic; one which doesn’t seem to have particularly evolved since 1778. I could get depressed or I could get creative. Creative seemed like more fun.

When The Loyals was selected by Emerson for this workshop production, I admit I had concerns. Rehearsing a period piece is an effortful act of imagination and endurance, mentally and physically (those corsets!). Balance those twenty extra hours-a-week atop a full academic schedule and you generate seriously combustible conditions. I credit our inspiring and attentive director Courtney Sale and our fantastic creative teams — artistic, production, management, and acting, for avidly taking on the challenge. I applaud them for fervently generating something singular and powerful and new: a never-before-seen play, presented for the first time right here at Emerson Stage.

And I thank every single person involved in this production, students all, for making it their mission to get it exactly, endlessly right. From the smallest prop to the loudest sound cue; from text elucidations to ‘Meschianza’ pronunciation; from gluing my broken shoe to being ‘on-book’ to hanging chandeliers, painting stars, lighting doric columns – this is how you grow the next crop of amazing theatre artists.

A play is people-powered. Human hands and hearts are its greatest resource and strength. If this process has been any kind of litmus test, Emerson understands that and has its priorities in the right place. For that, for those people and this raucous, rebellious, rigorous production, I’m very grateful.

Allison Gregory, Playwright
The Loyals
March 2023

About the Playwright

Allison Gregory’s work has been produced nationally and internationally for multi-generational audiences by a fusion of professional theatres, academic stages, and non-traditional spaces. She has received support and commissions/grants/development from Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, South Coast Repertory, Indiana Repertory Theatre, The Playwright’s Center, the Skirball-Kenis Foundation, GEVA, Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT Theater, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, The National New Play Network (NNPN), Hedgebrook, the New Harmony Project, Banff Playwrights Lab, among others. Allison’s spirit of invention takes many forms. Her plays range from satires centering on under-represented historical figures, to contemporary interpretations of mythology, intimate dramas, and exuberant, innovative theatre for young people. Her work includes Not Medea and Wild Horses (multiple NNPN Rolling World Premieres); Motherland, a reimagining of Brecht’s Mother Courage for a diverse world; The Loyals; and Trent’s Last Case. Allison’s plays for young audiences are produced widely across the country and include Go Dog. Go!, adapted from the P.D. Eastman book and co-written with Steven Dietz; Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, adapted from the Astrid Lindgren novel; Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!; Junie B. is Not A Crook; and Junie B., Toothless Wonder — adapted from the beloved book series by Barbara Park; and a revved-up Red Riding Hood. Allison has been recognized by TYA USA as “One of the 10 Most Produced TYA Playwrights.” Her plays are published by Dramatic Publishing, Playscripts, Smith & Krauss, and Rain City Press. http://allisongregoryplays.com/