War of 1812 to come to life in Chestertown

The Washington Post

 

By Associated Press, Published: July 28

 

CHESTERTOWN, Md. — History will come to life Wednesday with a show by Mary Ann Jung, depicting Rosalie Calvert during the War of 1812.

“1812 Alive!” will be presented from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Gibson Center of the Arts at Washington College. Heavy hors d’oeuvres are included in the $50 ticket price.

 

Jung, an award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar, will relive the drama of the war as Calvert, of Riversdale Plantation. Topics will include the Battle of Bladensburg, the burning of Washington and the making of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Born 1778 in Belgium, Rosalie-Eugenie Stier fled the French invasion of her native country with her family, moving to America. She later married George Calvert. A collection of her letters was published in 1991, offering a core sample of life on a Maryland plantation and the effects of the war on residents along the Chesapeake Bay.

Jung has been the director of Renaissance history and Shakespearean language at the Maryland Renaissance Festival for more than 30 years. She has played numerous historical figures, including Good Queen Bess, Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Margaret Brent and Capt. Jean the Pirate Queen. In 2002, her Clara Barton show won top honors for a solo performance from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Proceeds from the show will benefit the nonprofit Friends of Kent County Maryland War of 1812 and effort to promote the War of 1812 bicentennial in Kent County.