The next Duende play is ready! Help us bring it to the stage.

The Betsy Ross of the Bears tells the true story of Nancy Kelsey – the first American woman to cross the Sierra Nevada – and her role in the Bear Flag Revolt that made California. Help us fund rehearsals and bring this play to stages and classrooms across the region.

About the Play

It is 1851. Nancy Kelsey is packing a trunk in her cabin, talking to the mother she left behind in Missouri a decade ago. As she relives the tumultuous years since – the wagon journey west, the friendships forged, the Bear Flag raised – we experience with her the full complexity of a pioneer woman’s life on the California frontier.

Written by Rick Foster and performed by Krista Joy Serpa, “The Betsy Ross of the Bears” brings to life a woman who helped shape the state of California – and whose story deserves to be told.

Your Support Matters

Founded in 1998 by playwright Rick Foster and Artistic Director Thomas F. Maguire, Duende has spent nearly 30 years bringing entertaining and historically accurate plays to schools, theaters, community centers, museums, and national parks. Our productions have reached audiences across California and beyond – including filmed productions that have aired nationally on PBS.

Duende holds a large collection of Rick Foster’s work – plays that remind us who we are, where we came from, and where we’re going. “The Betsy Ross of the Bears” last toured California in 1999. It’s time to bring it back.

Praise for Betsy Ross

Where the Money Goes

Your tax-deductible contribution will help cover the costs of bringing this production to life: actor, director, and stage manager compensation during rehearsals, props and costumes, and outreach to schools and venues across the region. Every dollar goes directly to making this play happen.

Use the form on this page to make your gift today. Thank you for your support.