The story of Freddie Oversteegen—who, with her sister, Truus, and a close friend, joined the Dutch Resistance under Nazi occupation and became notoriously effective saboteurs, spies, and even assassins—seems almost too remarkable for fiction, let alone as historical fact.
Freddie herself, the younger of the Oversteegen teens, was recruited at only 14, in part because her youth seemed to offer some indemnity against suspicion and danger. She would parlay her apparent innocence into a superpower; on foot or on bicycle, she deftly navigated the perils of German occupiers and Dutch collaborators to pass along secret information, help rescue refugees, sabotage essential infrastructure, and ultimately help track down and "liquidate" targets. Often, armed with little more than her pigtails and a smile.
Now, Taffety Punk company member Kelsey Mesa (whose previous dramatic retelling of heroic historic women, La Salpêtrière, won awards and acclaim alike) has put the Oversteegen saga on stage in a world-premiere play, directed by fellow Taffety Punker Lise Bruneau. Bruneau took some time out of her countless artistic and producorial endeavors to chat with me about the piece and the production—which runs through September 19th at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
For one brief-but-illustrative summary of Freddie's life and experiences, you can read this account: https://www.history.com/articles/dutch-resistance-teenager-killed-nazis-freddie-oversteegen
For more on the production, as well as performance details and tickets and more, you can visit Taffety Punk's website here: https://www.taffetypunk.com/