Stand by the River is a musical written by Joanne and Mark Sutton-Smith based on the life of abolitionist William Still, his liberation of Jane Johnson and her two sons from slavery in 1855, and the federal trial that summer.

[1][2] The work was presented in New York City in an Equity staged reading, in February 2003, at the Theatre at St. Clements, directed by Larry Thelen of Goodspeed Musicals.

[4][5] In the summer of 2011, an abridged version of the work was produced at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in NYC, featuring Quentin Darrington and Kenita Miller.

[5] The action begins in Virginia, where Jane Johnson, the slave of planter and politician John Hill Wheeler, learns that her eldest child has been sold.

Seth Concklin, an abolitionist inspired by William Still's action, embarks upon a quest to liberate Peter's wife, Vina, who is still enslaved in the Deep South.

The prosecution appears to have a strong case and the judge is known to be ally of Wheeler; but the defense introduces a surprise witness: Jane Johnson.