Chautauqua Festival 2023 – Secrets Revealed – James Armistead Lafayette

James Armistead Lafayette (1748-1830) performed by Stephen Seals.

Everybody loves a good spy story.  How about an American slave who volunteers to spy for the Continental Army and does such a credible job of it that he gets recruited to be a double agent for the British, gaining the confidence of both General Cornwallis and traitor Benedict Arnold? It’s an exciting story of a bogus “runaway slave” living a dangerous life behind enemy lines ferreting out information and spreading “mis-information” that allows the American forces to triumph at the Battle of Yorktown.  Not fiction…a true story.  And you will get to hear it told by Colonial Williamsburg’s Stephen Seals.

Stephen Seals currently portrays National Builder, James Armistead Lafayette, at Colonial Williamsburg.  He is also Community Outreach Liaison and Program Development Manager for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  Stephen started at Colonial Williamsburg 12 years ago as an Actor interpreter and for three years was also Supervisor of the unit before becoming the Manager of Program Development for African American and Religion Interpretation for the Foundation.

Prior to coming to Colonial Williamsburg, Stephen was a freelance actor traveling the country performing and directing theater.  He majored in Theater Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and spent 10 years teaching theater in the Richmond community, also working as an actor, director, stage manager, production manager, and lighting designer.