Cultural Calendar with Keith Martin

CULTURAL CALENDAR

On with the Show!

“The last time the theater industry opened from a pandemic, Shakespeare was still writing new plays.”

By Keith Martin

ENSEMBLE STAGE

Victoria Bailey is executive director of the nonprofit Theatre Development Fund in New York City and a leader in the cultural sector. She brilliantly summed up the complexities that her beloved performing arts industry is facing as it resumes operations after COVID-19: “The last time the theater industry opened from a pandemic, Shakespeare was still writing new plays.”

This year, performing arts organizations have announced their 2021 summer seasons with equal parts optimism and uncertainty, knowing that the guidelines and restrictions change with each gubernatorial proclamation. Still, the mountains are a favorite destination for tourists and seasonal residents whose generous patronage and support have enabled professional summer arts to flourish here in the High Country for the last 70 years, providing hundreds of performances May through September.

Here is an overview of offerings on the current schedule for summer 2021, but 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!

The expansive schedule for the annual AN APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL is featured elsewhere in this issue, including a listing of all 28 events being produced and presented in July. Don’t miss it… or them.

AppSummer.org

THE APPALACHIAN THEATRE OF THE

HIGH COUNTRY (for the second year in a row!) has been selected for the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, a program of South Arts in Atlanta. Since its inception in 1975, Southern Circuit has brought some of the best independent filmmakers and their films from around the country to communities throughout the South. The program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Southern Circuit Tour will be a part of the Appalachian Theatre’s popular BOONE DOCS documentary film festival. Dates, times, and titles for each film will soon be available on the theatre’s website:

AppTheatre.org

Over in the quaint town of Abingdon, Virginia, the venerable BARTER THEATRE acquired the abandoned Moonlite Drive-In theater during the pandemic and has lovingly converted it into a live, outdoor performance venue. This successful endeavor has been reported nationwide, including a feature article in American Theatre. They are producing four shows on their summer “Barter at the Moonlight” series, with Ted Swindley’s Always… Patsy Cline running from now through July 10. Starring the dynamic Kim Morgan Dean in the title role, the musical is based on the true story of the legendary singer’s friendship with a Houston, TX, housewife, and features nearly all of Cline’s hit songs.

From July 16 through 24, Doo-Wop at the Moonlight Drive In features “hit songs from the 1950s, ‘60s, and beyond, combined with laughter and nostalgia!” Barter invites you to “tap your toes and honk your horn as they transport you back to the golden age of girl groups.” The series concludes with Barter Sings Broadway from July 30 through August 7 showcasing Barter’s favorite performers singing their favorite hits from some of the best known musicals of all time. The line-up features songs from Grease, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Guys & Dolls, as well as more recent shows like Wicked and Frozen. For more information, and to take a virtual tour of the historic “State Theatre of Virginia,” visit Barter’s website at BarterTheatre.com.

ENSEMBLE STAGE, in their now-familiar home at the Historic Banner Elk School, has announced a summer slate of three productions, plus two popular children’s theatre offerings, a staged radio play, and a cabaret concert. On July 17 and 18, a special benefit concert features South Florida’s Carbonell Award winner Laura Hodos in a cabaret tribute to four musical theatre icons of Broadway, Julie and Mary and Ethel and Babs! The theatre promises “songs that you know, and some you don’t, along with anecdotes and fun trivia tidbits” about Julie Andrews, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, and Barbra Streisand.

Their subscription season begins on July 30 with Sean Grennan’s comedy Beer for Breakfast, running through August 7. The plot follows four middle-aged buddies who reunite for a “guys’ weekend” complete with old music, cheap beer and enough cholesterol to stop Superman’s heart. These guys are out to prove they’ve still got it and party like it’s 1979. From August 20 through 28, The Business of Murder, a suspensethriller by Richard Harris, centers on the interlocking triangular relationship between a successful television playwright, a detective superintendent, and a humorless dour man.

Founding Artistic Director Gary Smith is adapting L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz into a staged radio play which will have a three-performance run from September 10 through 12. Smith and his theatre company deserve credit for keeping the historic radio drama genre alive and well here in the High Country. The summer concludes with 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

LEES-MCRAE SUMMER THEATRE

TWEETSIE RAILROAD Cloggers Barter Theatre Always Patsy Cline

Palm Springs… but will the marriage survive the service?

Ensemble’s first children’s show is adapted from the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, The Fisherman and His Wife by Larry and Vivian Snipes, recent inductees into the Southeastern Theatre Conference Hall of Fame. Performances are a familyfriendly one hour in length and take place at 11 a.m. on the Saturday mornings of June 19, July 10, and August 14. It is followed by The Commedia Princess and the Pea on June 26 and July 24. This production, by Rebecca L. Byars and Lane Riosley, models the Italian commedia dell’arte style of comedy that began in Italy in the 15th century and is a favorite of young audiences. For ticket information, visit EnsembleStage.com or call 828-414-1844.

The fine folks at the JONES HOUSE

CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTER

invite you to join the Town of Boone and the Appalachian Theatre on Friday, June 18 at 7 p.m. as they celebrate Doc Watson Day 2021. This year’s event will be a free, livestreamed concert from the App Theatre. It will feature hosts Patrick and Kay Crouch, a video montage with greetings and prerecorded performances from some of Doc’s friends and protégés, and a live concert from The Burnett Sisters Band & Colin Ray, followed by Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road. For more info, visit JonesHouse.org or call 828-268-6280. theatre!LEES-McRAE SUMMER THEATRE (LMST) has brought high caliber productions to the region since 1985. Under the direction of founder Dr. Janet Barton Speer, they will produce two musicals this season including a highly-anticipated world premiere production of America’s Artist: The Norman Rockwell Story, the newest work by the creators of both From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story and The Denim King: The Moses Cone Story. With music and lyrics by the father and son team of Tommy and John Thomas (J. T.) Oaks and book by Speer, it brings to life the work of Rockwell, the iconic American artist. Performances run from July 25 through August 1. For more about this talented duo, look elsewhere in this edition of CML. LMST’s other show is the PG-13 rated, Tony Award-winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by Willian Finn and Rachel Sheinkin, with performances from July 19 through 27. The action follows an eclectic group of six students as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their lives, the contestants spell their way through a series of words, hoping never to hear the soulcrushing “ding” of the bell that signals the end of the road for them. For tickets or information, visit lmc.edu/summertheatre or call 828-898-8709. The summer theatre tradition in the High Country started around 1950 when visionary members of the Southern Ap-

palachian Historical Association (SAHA)

began planning for a new outdoor drama to further their mission of celebrating and preserving “the diverse cultural heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountain region by engaging individuals in historical education and cultural entertainment centered around Daniel Boone and our fight for American Independence.” HORN IN THE WEST has welcomed over one-and-a-half million audience members since it opened in 1952 as the nation’s third oldest outdoor drama. Now celebrating its 69th season, the show is directed by Boone native Shauna Godwin with choral direction by local legend Billy Ralph Winkler. This Revolutionary War drama brings to life the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone and the hardy mountain settlers of this region in their struggle to preserve their freedom during the turbulent years before and during the war for independence. Each July 4, they celebrate our nation’s independence in the style typical of the 1780s by reading aloud The Declaration of Independence along with a eulogy for King George III while his dummy is burned in effigy. There will also be a military salute to the new nation by firing 13 volleys from the black powder rifles, one shot for each of the original American colonies. Information at 828-264-2120 or at HornInTheWest.com. Performances in 2021 will run June 25 through August 7 in Boone, NC. TWEETSIE RAILROAD is North Carolina’s first theme park, opening on the Fourth of July in 1957. Known primarily as a Wild West adventure park with amusement rides and a petting zoo, Tweetsie features stunning three-mile long train rides aboard a historic, coal-fired, narrow gauge steam locomotive. From a performing arts perspective, Tweetsie is a major employer of professional talent and produces 21 performances of a half-dozen live entertainment and stage shows each day. A sampling of offerings includes the Can-Can Dancers, Country Clogging Jamboree, Hopper and Porter’s Musical Celebration, The Magic Show and the everpopular Sunset Show. Just as the cowboys ride off into the sunset at the end of the movie, Tweetsie’s entertainers mosey into the Palace for one last show at the end of the day, featuring performers from every show at Tweetsie Railroad together on one stage. The 2021 season runs through November 1, with varying dates and schedules; for more information, please visit Tweetsie.com or call 800-526-5740.

CULTURAL CALENDAR

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AN APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL

MUSIC · DANCE · THEATRE · FILM · VISUAL ARTS JuLy 2-31, 2021

PAuLA PouNdstoNe (JULy 3) PArsoNs dANCe (JULy 8) JAsoN IsbeLL ANd tHe 400 uNit (JULy 10) briAN stokes MitCHeLL & MegAN HiLty (JULy 17) ALAN CuMMiNg & Ari sHAPiro: Och & Oy! A cOnSidEREd cAbERET(JULy 24) AN eveNiNg witH sArAH JoNes (JULy 29) rANky tANky (JULy 31)

...And MORE! For tickets and more information, please visit AppSummer.org or call 828-262-4046

About “CML’s Keith Martin”...

CML magazine is blessed to have a treasure trove of talented writers. Folks tell us over and over that they read us from cover to cover.

We will highlight our writers in the coming issues and wanted to share a beautiful quote from Denise Ringler of An Appalachian Summer Fest about our theatre editor, KEITH MARTIN. He also was just awarded the 2021 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award by Governor Cooper (see page 106).

“Keith’s extensive familiarity with the regional arts scene has led him to play another critical role, in promoting music, theatre, and dance programming across our region. In recent years, he earned a stellar reputation for showcasing the people and places that make living in western North Carolina so special. Keith’s writing is fresh and original, creative, insightful, and effectively tells stories of the arts to readers across our region, providing a behindthe-scenes glimpse of what makes the arts so central to the quality of life and cultural landscape of the High Country. His stories are personal, heartfelt, and derived from what he knows and loves best: arts programming that inspires us, expands our worldview, and elevates us.” n

THIS IS HOME

JONES HOUSE

CULTURAL & COMMUNITY Center Boone, NC

828.268.6280 | www.joneshouse.org