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

Tess Rowan performing two monologues (from Proof & Bedford and Squalor.) www.tessrowan.com

www.tessrowan.com Songs and timestamps: 0:04 "Hurt So Bad" by Susan Tedeschi (Country/Blues) 0:32 "Another Life" from The Bridges of Madison County (MT Folk) 1:03 "Crazy on You" by Heart (Rock Belt) 1:26 "I'll Show Him" from Plain and Fancy (Golden Age Legit) 1:40 "Baby Driver" by Paul Simon (Playing Guitar, Folk) 1:59 "My Grand Plan" from The Lightning Thief (Contemporary MT) 2:17 "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" from The Little Mermaid (Disney) 2:26 "Misery Business" by Paramore (Pop/Punk) 2:43 "Privilege to Pee" from Urinetown (Contemporary MT/Comedy) 3:05 "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Carole King (Pop/Rock Jukebox) 3:22 "Map of Scars" from We Foxes (Contemporary MT)