Paul Revere Coming to Lake Worth Beach on a Midnight Ride for Modern Times

Core Ensemble celebrates America’s 250th birthday with ‘One If By Land and Then We Will See’ at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on June 12

Jun 02, 2026

PAUL REVERE IS about to ride into Lake Worth Beach, and he’s not just warning that the British are coming.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, the nonprofit theatrical group Core Ensemble will perform “One if By Land and Then We Will See” at 7 p.m. June 12 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 100 North Palmway.

Through words and music, the hourlong show explores the events leading up to the famous 1775 horse ride while also drawing subtle contemporary parallels, as implied by the second part of the show’s title, “And Then We Will See.”

Admission is free; a donation is encouraged.

“In doing research for the show, we were amazed at the relevance of the Revolutionary era to our own time — a sharply divided citizenry, the economic impact of tariffs and the desire to be free of a monarch,’’ said producer Michael Parola.

“We went into this with the idea that we wanted to tell a story about why and how (the revolution) happened, ‘’ he said. “Especially now, since a lot of people feel those freedoms are under threat, how did we get to the point of having those freedoms in the first place?’’

But while Revere’s midnight ride led to the American Revolution, the Lake Worth Beach performance is not at all a call to revolt, he said. It’s an artistic interpretation of 250-year-old events that feel deeply familiar for many people today.

“What we hope to create is this theatrical experience, embellished and assisted by the music, where we get a taste for what it felt like for people in that time and somehow also how it relates to us today,’’ said Rosa Rodriguez, who wrote the show

Founded in 1993, Core Ensemble is a group of artists in residence at St. Andrew’s who perform across the United States. The shows celebrate diversity and social justice by blending actors with a musical trio of cello, piano and percussion.

Supported by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County and private donors, performances have focused on historical figures such as the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, the Black playwright and poet Langston Hughes and Native American activist Zitkala-Sa.

For the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the group decided to interpret the story of the American Revolution through the eyes of Paul Revere and other figures from the era.

“We thought it would be interesting to focus on what happened right after the moment of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,’’ Rodriguez said.

“Up to that point it was not necessarily about becoming independent, it was something else,’’ she said, “and this something else we felt could be very relatable to events we’ve experienced not so long ago or are experiencing right now.’’

The show will be performed by a diverse group of artists. Rodriguez is from the Dominican Republic. Revere will be played by actor Victor Vazquez, a native of Venezuela. Cellist Ju Young Lee is from South Korea. Pianist Alfonso Hernandez is from Guatemala.

The Rev. Corinna Olson will read portions of Longfellow’s iconic poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

“The goal is to at least feel what Paul Revere might have been feeling at that time,’’ Rodriguez said. “It’s an interesting thing to try to do, to give the idea, the feel for how it is similar to current events without hitting it over the audience’s heads.’’