Script – Score – Lyrics
By
Ruth Tyndall Baker
The Patriots — including Sam and John Adams, Revere, and Hancock — are planning their protest against taxes in Edward Wilkins’ tavern. Tippsie Prattle is singing, “Do you remember the night when we dumped all the tea?” They decide to help British deserters and do even more; but when the English Major arrives, the Patriots’ plans are crushed. Sarah Wilkins’ love for the Lieutenant is squashed, and Wilkins’ young son is beaten for carrying messages. As troops pound on the tavern door, Wilkins flees for his life as the Patriots rally, singing, “We shall build a nation, call it all our own!”
Overview of Characters
The Wilkins family runs the tavern where the Patriots meet and consists of Edward and Elizabeth, their two daughters Sarah and Abigail, and their young son Nathan.
The Patriots include John and Sam Adams, Revere and Hancock: the colorful characters of Prattle, a has-been frontier man who loves his rum, and Parson, who falls in love with Sarah but who has not a chance against the British Lt. Charles Duncan.
The British billet at Edward’s tavern, and Major Pitcairn tells Edward how it will be now that he’s arrived. Lt. Charles Duncan is smitten by Sarah Wilkins.
The Wilkins family is caught up in the struggle against England and pays a high price for acting when Liberty calls.
Act I: iii
“We must stir the very souls of men; for if we fail to do this, our inalienable rights as well as our property are lost.”
— Sam Adams
Message from the Playwright
It is a joy to bring to you a story about the men and women who were caught up in the colonies’ struggle to survive the control of the Mother Country. And it is a surprise to me how my ability to do so came about. My theater experience started when, at the age of ten, I was so excited about Christmas coming that I decided to act out “T’was the Night Before Christmas” in our garage. I don’t know if it got a good review or not from the neighborhood kids—but I loved doing it.
I also remember having my dolls talk to each other. Writing dialogue came naturally to me. So it happened that I became a playwright, writing scripts with historical background, always wondering what it would be like to live in another time, another place.
When I was in sixth grade, a neighbor moved away and left a broken down piano to us, which needed to be put to use, according to my mother. She forced me to take one year of piano, and I found I loved it. Thus, my musical Liberty Calls! was written especially for the SemiquinCentennial.
Theater is a great way to remind ourselves of our country’s roots and to celebrate our system of government. Please check out my OTHER WORKS, which also reflect the unique challenges and fabric of our country—including stories about the Civil War, the Burmese refugee immigration, racial turmoil, and Al Capone. Let’s celebrate our country’s 250th year at the theater. I’d love to see your production!
— Ruth
Biography
Ruth Tyndall Baker attended Indiana University, B.A. and M.A.T., and has taught at various levels, including creative writing at Purdue Fort Wayne. Working with students at Chote Rosemary-Hall Prep School as Playwright-in-Residence was a perfect fit for her. Although author of the memoir A Desert Surprise (Amazon) about her hiking alone in Israel for five weeks in search of a play (Moshe), Baker is best known for her scripts. She loves writing about her Indiana roots but is also compelled to write about social and historical events.
Half a World Away, commissioned by Barter Theater, Virginia, deals with both her home town and a social situation: the influx of Burmese refugees to Fort Wayne. Nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn International Prize, it is the story of a father-son relationship struggling to survive in a new culture with only Grandma Cho-Cho holding them together.
Other recent credits include Fort Wayne Civic Theater’s 1st place winner Althea’s Well about domestic abuse. Home Fires OUT! produced at St. Francis University reflects the random violence of our society and the intimate relationship of a mother with her Traumatic Brain Injured adult son. Produced at FW Purdue University, Women Unbound, another Indiana roots script, concerns the Hamilton family. Edith, from Fort Wayne and world-famous for her translation of Greek Myths, had a secret life with a younger student. The research for this play led Baker to writing The Secret Life of Edith Hamilton, a novel about the Hamilton sisters.
Writing Awards include grants from the Indiana Arts Commission, Arts United, and the Eli Lilly Creative Writing Fellowship.
Baker is seldom away from her desk except to enjoy her family—son and daughter plus five grandchildren and her two cats, Penny and Beau, who hope she is writing a play about them. Baker is a member of the Dramatist Guild, TCG, AACT and AAUW.
Artistic Statement
While I have written in the past about my midwestern roots focusing on family, I currently am fascinated with researching and finding stories in other cultures. The issues are universal in all cultures and very powerful: love, hate, anger, forgiveness, regret, joy, birth and re-birth. I engross myself in the script and rely upon directors and designers—costume, lighting, sound, set designers—to create the stage pictures in a collaborative way. I generally prefer minimal props and set designs although each script has its own needs. I strive for meaningful content, issues relevant today even though the story may be set in the past; and I aim to create that powerful, unforgettable moment at curtain.
Credits
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Productions
| Fort Wayne Civic, IN | Althea’s Well | |||
| Barter Theater, Abingdon, VA | Half a World Away | |||
| Looking Glass, NY |
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| Lincoln Square Theater, Chicago | Guggenheim | |||
| Chicago Dramatists | Three One Acts | |||
| Dark Horse Theater, Nashville | Singles W/O Sex Club | |||
| University of Indianapolis | Separate Scripts | |||
| Contemporary Theater, Louisville | Moshe | |||
| Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford | Tuesdays Child | |||
| Houston Playhouse | Parlor Game | |||
| Webster Groves Theater, St. Louis |
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| Bloomington Playwrights Project | The White Whale | |||
| Purdue FW | Women Unbound | |||
| St. Francis University, FW | Home Fires OUT! | |||
| allforOne, FW | On Bethel Road (Xmas) |
Reading/Workshops
| Richmond Shepard Theatre, NY | Knitters Row |
| The Playsmiths, NY | Home Fires OUT! |
| Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago | A Christmas Key |
| The Barrow Group, NY | Guggenheim |
| Wheeler Arts Center, Indianapolis | Al Capone & Me |
| Fine Arts Festival, Auburn, IN | Papillons |
| Indiana Theater Conference | Moshe |
| Muncie IAC | Papillons |
| The Producers Club | Rapture |
| T. Schreiber Studio | On This Mountain |
| Abingdon Theater | Papillons |
| Depauw University | Rapture |
| Timber Lake Writers Colony | Papillons |
Reviews
Let’s take your next step
Step into Liberty Calls!, where Patriots unite against unjust taxes in Edward Wilkins’ tavern. When you have a moment, explore Ruth Tyndall Baker’s Script page to learn more about this playwright.
Script