9 minute read
Cultural Calendar with Keith Martin
“At the Crossroads of Crisis and Opportunity” Fall Seasons Are Set for High Country Performing Arts Groups
By Keith Martin
Frankenstein at the Barter Theatre Kim Morgan Dean in Twelve Dates of Christmas at the Barter Theatre Catapult at CoMMA
CULTURAL CALENDAR
High Country Performing Arts Calendar
The indefatigable Denise Ringler, director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs at Appalachian State University, insightfully offered this assessment when asked by students about the challenges of programming events during the global pandemic:
This fall, performing arts groups everywhere have seized every possible opportunity in selecting their seasons. As we’ve said previously, each decision is greeted with equal parts optimism and uncertainty, knowing that the guidelines and restrictions change with each gubernatorial proclamation. Still, our beloved cultural organizations are returning to their stages in a homecoming of sorts for their audience members. Wherever possible, and with the necessary health and safety protocols in place, theatregoers will all gather together online and/or in person to experience the joy of live performance after an extended “intermission.” Welcome back… we’ve
missed you.
The following is an overview of current offerings on the schedule from now through mid-December, with productions by our local colleges and universities listed separately. PLEASE NOTE that all performances, dates and times are subject to change; you are strongly encouraged to contact the box office for the most current information.
See you at the theatre!
ASHE COUNTY LITTLE THEATRE is putting the fun in fundraiser on October 9 with West Jefferson on Broadway, and evening of musical entertainment featuring the theatre’s avocational volunteers singing show tunes for an eager and enthusiastic audience. For tickets and more information, visit their website at www.ashecountyarts.org.
Over in Abingdon, Virginia, the BARTER THEATRE continues to perform at the Moonlite Drive-In. Rockin’ at the Moonlite is a musical revue featuring company actors singing songs tracing the roots of rock music from its earliest origins to the present day with the best rock ‘n’ roll tunes of all time, from Elvis and Johnny Cash to The Beatles, Little Richard, Fleetwood Mac and Queen. They invite you to “dance and sing under the stars” with their stars from September 24 through October 23. And, for the first time since 2019, Barter will be reopening its doors at Gilliam Stage for Frankenstein with shows from September 30 through Halloween night, October 31. When scientist Victor Frankenstein infuses the spark of life into his creature, he begins a haunting examination of what it is to be human and the price we pay for playing God. A uniquely theatrical experience, this world premiere is a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s famous story by Barter’s resident playwright Catherine Bush.
“The State Theatre of Virginia” kicks off the holiday season on November 18 when Barter opens A Christmas Story with performances through December 29. Set in the 1940s, this story follows nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts, an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Rebuffed at every turn, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his heart’s desire. Based on the beloved motion picture, this nostalgic tale of childish yearning is perfect for the whole family. Less than a week later, The Twelve Dates of Christmas opens with a one-woman show starring Barter tour-de-force Kim Morgan Dean as Mary, running from November 26 through December 23. Mary loves the holidays. Even when her fiancé calls to say he’s sick and can’t come to Thanksgiving with her family, she makes the best of the day and snuggles in to watch the Macy’s Day Parade on TV. But when the parade camera zooms in on her fiancé kissing another woman, Mary’s holidays take a turn for the ridiculous.
Back at the Moonlight Drive-In from December 3 through 23, the Barter’s third holiday offering is Jingle All the Way. It’s not easy being the twin brother of Santa’s #1 Helper, and no one knows that better than Jangle the Elf. No matter what job Jangle is assigned in Santa’s Workshop, his sister Jingle can do it faster and better. Then a letter arrives for Santa at the North Pole, one that requires a “Top Priority Gift.” The trouble is no one, including Jingle, knows how to make it. The questions is: Will Jangle be able to save the day… and Christmas? For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Barter’s website at www. BarterTheatre.com.
BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY THEATRE (BRCT) will mark Halloween weekend with a re-creation of the radio production of Dracula, based on the well-known story by Bram Stoker about the curse of the undead, forever driven for blood, and the trail of victims he leaves behind. In 1938, the Mercury Theater players, led by Orson Welles, broadcast a series of 11 radio shows based
One Night in Memphis at CoMMA A Banner Elk Christmas at Ensemble Stage
By Keith Martin
on timeless classics. Dracula was the first production, written and directed by Welles himself. The show will be directed by Anna Ward and performed live from the Coffey Cabin at Hickory Ridge Homestead from October 29 through 31 at 7 p.m.
The holiday season at BRCT will showcase director Trimella Chaney’s unique take on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, developed for the stage from the book of the same name by Barbara Robinson. It is the story of the “unchurched” Herdmans, who stumble into participating in a church Christmas pageant due to the appeal of the refreshments offered. This fun and poignant exploration of the true result of holiday programs features a 27-person cast that includes 17 children from ages seven to 15 and will completely fill the Valborg Theatre stage on the Appalachian State University campus from December 17 through 19. For more information, visit info@blueridgecommunitytheatrenc.com.
The CITY OF MORGANTON MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM, or CoMMA for short, has announced the most extensive line-up in our entire region with no fewer than 16 productions in their state-of-the-art venue in Burke County. Sharon Jablonski, the new director of the 1,058-seat performing arts center, has programmed a wide range of music, theatre, dance, family, and holiday offerings for their 36th season, and Jablonski’s first. She echoed the sentiments of many when saying that there is, “nothing like a live performance!”
Among their offerings from now through the end of the year are Catapult: Magic Shadows on October 1. An America’s Got Talent finalist from Season 8, Catapult is a magical production that features incredible dancers who work behind a screen to create shadow silhouettes of shapes from the world around us. With the arc of an arm, the point of a toe or the twist of a torso, Catapult’s dancers stretch their bodies, and your imaginations, telling stories with humor and pathos by transforming magically from one shape to another. On October 22,
One Night in Memphis: Presley, Perkins,
Lewis & Cash is a concert tribute to legendary Sun Records recording artists Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley—over 90 minutes of rockabilly, country, gospel, and pure 1950s rock and roll music performed live and backed by an authentic and energetic rockabilly backup band.
November brings three very different offerings in less than two weeks beginning on November 13 with Rhythmic Circus: Holiday Shuffle, an internationally renowned 12-member live music and tap dance ensemble. CoMMA says, “Experiencing one of their adrenaline-soaked dance performances feels like witnessing the rebirth of an art form, one that forged all kinds of stylistic hybrids, but is something else entirely.” They are followed on November 20 by Scythian. Named after Ukrainian nomads, Scythian plays roots music from Celtic, Eastern European, and Appalachian traditions with “thunderous energy, technical prowess, and storytelling songwriting, beckoning crowds into a barn-dance, rock concert experience.”
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
takes centerstage on November 27. A powerful story of redemption, Charles Dickens’ holiday classic has enchanted audiences the world over with its simple message of holiday joy. Ebenezer Scrooge, that most unrepentant and miserly of fellows, is made to see the light as he survives a merciless battery of revelations by the ghosts of his own life: Jacob Marley and the Christmas spirits of past, present, and future. For information and tickets to all of the above events, visit www.commaonline.org.
Over in Banner Elk, ENSEMBLE STAGE Founding Artistic Director Gary Smith is basking in the recent success of his adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz into a staged radio play. Not resting on their laurels, Ensemble is following up that show with a production of Wendy MacLeod’s “delicious comedy” Slow Food, with performances from September 24 through October 3. Developed at the prestigious National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center, the plot follows a vacationing couple celebrating their anniversary at a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs… but will the marriage survive the service?
One of Avery County’s newest but most anticipated holiday traditions is Ensemble Stage’s annual A Banner Elk Christmas. The third edition of this original musical variety show attracts some of the High Country’s top talent and is certain to play to StandingRoom-Only audiences during its two-week run with performances on December 3, 5, 17, 18 and 19 in the Historic Banner Elk School.
For ticket info, call (828) 414-1844 or visit www.EnsembleStage.com.
CULTURAL CALENDAR
theatre!
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Bring a Book, Take a Book
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We offer books to swap, magazines, WiFi, puzzles, book discussion groups, music jams, and children’s programs throughout the year. Stop by and see us this season!
