By Molly Briggs ’19, News Editor

Many of you may have looked outside your window at the amphitheater on Friday, May 25^th, and wondered why there were people in inflatable horse costumes sword-fighting in front of a bunch of kids.

Well, it all started after the APUSH exam, and Dr. Tyrrell brought her son to her C bell class to present on Obama. At the end, one person asked, “Is Obama your favorite president?” and he responded “No, George Washington.” His teacher, who had accompanied him, then explained that he was sad because they don’t teach much about the first president in Pre-K. Dr. Tyrrell’s face lit up as she had an idea: “Let’s put on a skit about George Washington and preform it for their class!” Someone added on: “About the Whiskey Rebellion!” And thus, the skit was born.

The skit was entitled The Apple Cider Rebellion (refraining from using the actual rebellion name for obvious reasons). C bell APUSH wrote it, directed it, and rehearsed it (somewhat) diligently. Two Pre-K classes were invited to the amphitheater Friday morning, and after C bell was in full costume and all the props were in place the play was ready to be performed.

Taking place after the American Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, the skit began with the narrating voice of Nick Nguyen, and a town-girl, Belle (Annabel Forman), singing about how she could trade apple cider for everyday necessities. The busy marketplace was shown with apple cider sellers (Molly Briggs, Olivia Yardley) and townsfolk (Alexandra Pohl, Mia Lutz) going about their daily lives as Scots-Irish music played in the background. But this skit was made to be interactive with the little kids. Half of them got two packets of Ritz crackers, and the other half got two apple juice boxes, and they were instructed to trade for one of each, just like they had to do back in 1791. In the next scene, Alexander Hamilton (Kayla Boaz) and Thomas Jefferson (Sam Taylor) discussed the strength of the Constitution and how they were allowed to tax the apple cider. The skit then moved back to the marketplace, where the apple cider seller (Molly Briggs) was commanded by the tax collector (Alexandra Pohl) to pay taxes on her product with a writ. Farmers (Olivia Yardley, Kayla Boaz) joined in rebellion against this new tax. The president George Washington (Sterling Snell) gathered his troops (Mia Lutz) to squash the rebellion, and did so quickly and efficiently. As the play concluded, the rebels admitted that maybe the Constitution wasn’t so bad after all.

The skit went over enormously well with the Pre-K students, as with the AP Lit class that was lucky enough to see the second show.

“Dr. Tyrrell’s C bell APUSH class truly pulled off something spectacular. In just one week, they crafted the entire script, incorporating modern music, designing their own costumes and props, and making it kid-friendly. Although the play did take precedence over my AP Lit class’s poetry reading in the use of the amphitheater, they were kind enough to invite us back to the amphitheater for an exclusive second showing of the play. Imaginative yet historically accurate, the Apple Cider Rebellion has had a promising start Off-Broadway and is sure to debut on Broadway by the end of this year.” -AP Lit student

“Best skit I’ve ever seen. Better than any Shakespeare play. 11/10. Would HIGHLY recommend.” -AP Lit student

“It’s the next Hamilton.” -AP Lit student

“It re-ignited my passion for American history.” -AP Lit student