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Photo by Todd Bush
VISITORS ENJOY THEATER AND ART IN THE HEART OF BANNER ELK Special to 919 Magazine
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anner Elk offers a summer full of theater and art in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Two local theater companies bring a series of big shows to the stage, while outdoor art shows are held one weekend per month in July, August and September. This walkabout, one-stoplight resort town is home to Ensemble Stage, a professional theater company; and Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, which blends professional, educational and community theater on the campus of Lees-McRae College. “People can come in the summer and see two distinctly different productions and make a weekend out of it,” said Gary Smith, artistic director for Ensemble Stage. “We have people who come from larger metropolitan areas with tons of theater specifically to see shows here in Banner Elk.” For its 13th Summer Season, Ensemble Stage brings four premiers to Hahn Auditorium at the Historic Banner Elk School. The company performs a world premiere, an international premiere and two regional premieres.
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The theater has waited to present the world premiere, “Zaglada,” since discovering it at a theater conference in January 2020. The international premiere, “Baby on Board,” originated as a French comedy in Canada and was translated into English for its American debut. Opening the season are two regional premieres — “No Wake” and “Catch the Butcher” — that have never been performed in North Carolina or any bordering states. “No Wake” kicks off the season June 24-July 2, followed by “Catch the Butcher” July 15-23, “Baby on Board” Aug. 12-20, and “Zaglada” Sept. 9-17. Lees-McRae combines aspiring performers and technicians with industry professionals and a dash of local talent to produce two musicals at Broyhill Theatre inside Hayes Auditorium. “The Drowsy Chaperone” runs June 28-July 3, and “Matilda: The Musical” takes the stage July 21-27. These talented folks descend on Banner Elk each summer to work with founder and artistic director Dr. Janet Barton Speer.
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Summer 2022
