Count Basie Center for the Arts presents a staged reading of Sally Wister, a new play for youth by D.W. Gregory, author of Radium Girls.

The reading  will take place at 7 p.m. on July 28 in the Vogel Theater at Count Basie Center, 99 Monmouth St., in Red Bank, N.J.

Based on the true story of a Quaker girl’s flight from Philadelphia during the British occupation in 1777-1778, Sally Wister is directed by Jessica O’Brien and features students with the Turner Arts Academy at Count Basie Center,

The play is inspired by Sally’s actual journal and tells the story of the Revolution through the eyes of Sally and her two close friends, three Quaker girls whose religious convictions put their families at odds with the Patriot Cause.

When Sally finds herself sharing close quarters with officers in the Maryland Militia, she develops an unexpected friendship with a young major that puts her faith to the test.

“What the play wrestles with is whether neutrality is ever possible,” Gregory said. “By refusing to choose a side, do you ultimately land on one side or another by default?”