Toy Soldiers

ABOUT

Toy Soldiers is a new musical about a trio of teen girl musicians who fight in battle reenactments.

Featuring a score of reimagined songs from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, Toy Soldiers examines how history is retold and relived through the humor, friendships, education, and relationships of today’s youth.

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Tess Rowan.

WORKSHOPS AND AWARDS HISTORY

September 2023: Tess Rowan began developing Toy Soldiers.
January 2025: Featured at NYU Tisch Drama’s New Studio on Broadway Freeplay Festival
February 2025: "How Happy the Soldier" from Toy Soldiers won the American Battlefield Trust's Music and the American Revolution Competition
October 2025: Music showcased at The Public’s Domain: Transforming Iconic Works of Fiction and Sound Exhibit

Toy Soldier brings you another revolutionary take on a historic song. 🥁

Now through December 11th, you can catch The Public’s Domain: Transforming Iconic Works of Fiction and Sound, an exhibition featuring an unheard song from Toy Soldiers called “Soldier Sleep”

“Soldier Sleep” was first published in 1920 and is not a very well-known song from the era. It was written for and about soldiers in World War I. Through this adaptation of “Soldier Sleep,” I (Toy Soldiers writer, @tessrowan ) want to explore the intersections between war, history, and music.

In the development of “Soldier Sleep” and Toy Soldiers, I hope to reimagine American war songs with modern contexts, lyrics, arrangements, and musical styles, connecting with the voices of today’s teenagers in this new musical.

Check out the visual exhibition of “Soldier Sleep,” and other artworks at the Bobst Library Gallery on the 1st Floor before December 11th.

Visit the link in bio for more information!

#newmusical #nyu #nyubobst #musicaltheater #musicals #nyutisch

Found a clip from rehearsals for our January 2025 reading of Toy Soldiers. This is “The Girl I Leave Behind Me (Opening)” from Toy Soldiers by Tess Rowan. Onstage, we hear melody played on a fife. Aura, Lorena, and Maggie join in singing. At this point, the three girls are on their way to a war reenactment style band camp in Virginia for the summer, where their lives are about to change forever.

Lyrics:
I’M LONESOME SINCE I CROSSED THE HILL,
AND SHENANDOAH VALLEY.
BUT NOW I’M BOUND TO RICHMOND TOWN
WITH STARS AND STRIPES BESIDE ME.
I HOPE THAT LOVE WILL MAKE ME NEW.
I’LL FIGHT FOR WHAT I KNOW IS TRUE.
I’LL FIGHT TO UNDERSTAND,
FEEL THE HEARTBEAT OF THE BAND.
SAY GOODBYE
TO THAT SWEET LITTLE GIRL,
THAT PRETTY LITTLE GIRL,
THE GIRL I SEE...
THE GIRL I LEAVE...
BEHIND ME.

I’m so happy to announce that “How Happy the Soldier” is the winner of the American Battlefield Trust’s Music and the Revolution Competition in the College/University Students Category! “How Happy the Soldier” became popular in America during the Revolutionary War. I adapted and rewrote the tune for my new musical, Toy Soldiers @toysoldiersmusical, which is made up of reimagined songs from the Revolutionary War and Civil War. In Toy Soldiers, this song is told from the perspective of a modern teenage girl who plays the drums in an army reenactment fife and drum corps. This version is about what it means to share the songs and tell the stories of the past in new ways.🥁🎸 I’m so grateful this song was chosen and hope to continue to look at history through music. Along with celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, this competition awarded a $3,500 prize to the winners of each category. Thank you @americanbattlefieldtrust for this incredible opportunity.

In this video, I’m performing “How Happy the Soldier” at the New Studio on Broadway’s Freeplay Festival. Note: when posting this video, the captions reverted back to the auto generated version - so you can view the correct lyrics in the comments.

#musicals #musical #theater #theatre #newmusical #americanbattlefieldtrust #revolutionarywar #toysoldiersmusical #broadway #music

Looking back on our first reading of Toy Soldiers! 📸📚 This January, an excerpt of Toy Soldiers was performed in a reading through NYU Tisch Drama in the New Studio on Broadway’s Freeplay Festival.

#toysoldiersmusical #theatrekid #theater #theaterkid #broadway #musical #musicals #newmusical #nyu #nyutisch #tischdrama #newstudioonbroadway #reading #playreading #workshop #stagedreading #music #actor #performer

Toy Soldiers is a new musical about a trio of teen girl musicians who fight in battle reenactments. Featuring a score of reimagined songs from the Revolutionary War and Civil War, Toy Soldiers looks at how history is retold and relived in the humor, friendships, education, and relationships of today’s youth.

Writer @tessrowan began writing Toy Soldiers in September 2023. Toy Soldiers was recently featured at the NYU Tisch Drama’s New Studio on Broadway Freeplay Festival. Keep following along for more updates!

#toysoldiersmusical #musical #broadway #musicals #theatre #theater #theatrekid #musicaltheater #newmusical

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