Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights
2010 Festival
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10th Annual Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights
Reading Schedule
Reading #1Friday, July 30, 2010
1:00PM
Saving Old Smokey
by Ron Osborne
In its heyday, “Old Smokey” was more than a mountain-top country store…its porch was the scene of Saturday night country music shows that some say rivaled the Grand Ole Opry. When the county threatens foreclosure, Emma’s plans to reopen the store are put on hold. With the help of her friends Jinks and Olive, she plans a live fund-raising musical jamboree reminiscent of the good old days. But a storm and a mysterious visitor threaten to spoil the festivities. As challenges mount, laughs are shared, tears are shed, sparks fly and songs are sung in an on-the-air musical tribute to traditions, friendships and down home values.
Reading #2
Friday, July 30, 2010
4:00PM
The Shade of the Trees
by Kenley Smith
In Civil War-era Virginia, a 12-year-old-girl aids a young runaway slave and finds that she must choose between loyalty to her new friend, and her perceived duty to her society. The Shade of the Trees is a powerful story of a family on the brink, and a friendship that will change it for generations to come.
Reading #3
Monday, August 2, 2010
1:00PM
The Codgerella
by Mark Cook
Retirement is not as easy as it looks. Every morning Sam, Howard and Tom meet at Gus’s Diner to drink coffee and try to figure out their lives: how they got where they are, where they’re going, and does any of it make a bit of difference. Into this group comes Anne, the college girl who is waiting tables for the summer, and whose presence suggests to them the possibilities of life and also its limitations. A funny and touching look at the challenges of moving on.
Reading #4
Monday, August 2, 2010
4:00PM
After Autumn
by Kali Meister
After extended absences, Jonah and Sarah return to their childhood family home in hopes of escaping the messiness of their own shaky lives, only to come face to face with the reality of their aging mother’s early on-set Alzheimer's disease. They must now decide how their mother will be cared for as her disease progresses. And what will become of Jonah's fifteen-year-old daughter who has lived with Maggie since she was an infant? After Autumn is a poignant look at memory, relationships, and responsibility.
Reading #5
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
1:00PM
The Spring Cleaning
by Elizabeth Orndorff
It is the first day of spring in 1932 when Addie Malcolm sets out to clean her cabin in the mountain coalfields of Kentucky. Before the day is over her world of poverty and loss is devastated even further when she finds a $50 gold piece in her husband Joseph’s “chester drawers." How did he come by it? Why didn’t he spend it during the last thirty-odd years—especially when their son was dying and their daughter, Tressa, deserted them. But Joseph has his own reasons for dealing with his meager life. When Tressa returns home against her father’s wishes, the truth emerges—what would any of them –any of us—do if we were pushed beyond the limits of survival?
Reading #6
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
4:00PM
Elvis Blossom
by Sunny Da Silva
It is 1987, and young Cherry Blossom is convinced she is about to bear the child of Elvis…the fact that Elvis died a decade before is only a minor inconvenience. With the help of her Elvis-impersonator husband, Papa Jerry, they raise young Elvis Blossom to be the next King. Yet as the young Elvis builds his Momma’s dream, he forces her to look at herself and the world around her. This wacky, yet touching journey leaves us with a new insight on the dangers of obsession, and the generosity of unconditional love.
Reading #7
Friday, August 6, 2010
2:00PM
The Road to Appomattox
by Catherine Bush
When Confederate troops are no longer able to hold Five Forks, General Robert E. Lee has no choice but to order the evacuation of the capital at Richmond. The Army of Northern Virginia swings west, beginning a march that is now known as “Lee’s Final Retreat.” It is this “retreat trail” – the Road to Appomattox – that present-day Beau Weeks and his wife Jenny are following, retracing the steps of Lee’s army in order for Beau to investigate his family’s place in the annals of history. As General Lee is faced with the disintegration of his army, Beau and Jenny confront a past that threatens to destroy their marriage. Both Past and Present must decide for themselves what it means to surrender… and what price they're willing to pay for Union.
Visit the Festival Information page for submission details.
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