How to Load a Musket

Every year, across the country, thousands of historical reenactors stage the bloodiest, most divisive battles fought on American soil. Pursuing total authenticity, they fire muskets, chew hardtack, and wear handmade period clothing in brutal weather.

Drawing on a series of interviews begun by playwright Talene Monahon in 2015, the play weaves together verbatim conversations with Revolutionary and Civil War reeanactors. How to Load a Musket offers a unique look at this all-consuming hobby and the people who practice it as they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a national battle over how history is told.