Contact: Frank Levering

“I’m always excited about each season,” said Frank Levering, producer. “But this year I’m especially excited with our line-up because we have four original pieces, all by regional playwrights and storytellers, and a weekend of live music from the 1960.”

The season will open with “An Evening with The Duke,” a one-man show about legendary actor John Wayne, written and performed by Dan Hornak of Mt. Airy. The play, spanning Wayne’s career from his early days as a fledgling actor till near the end, when the ailing star, against all odds, continued to perform, will run July 30 – August 1.

The second piece, “Pearl, Your Mother,” (August 6-8 and 13-15) is a night of laughter and comedy when Heather Elliott and Terri Ingalls join to present a series of sketches and monologues about the mother-daughter relationship followed by a story-telling event by Terri about her mother. “Mom was a bright, quick-witted and funny woman who was also conflicted and brilliantly manipulative. I’ve told ‘mom stories’ for years and finally succumbed to suggestions to put them all together in one performance.”

The third show celebrates the 75^th anniversary – 1935 – 2010 – of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Written by Frank Levering, “Riders in the Sky: A Blue Ridge Parkway Saga” taps regional storytellers and a communal campfire to unfold the creation and construction of America’s favorite park. Journeying on to the present-day along the Parkway, this “winding story” weaves history and personal experiences to share the goals, setbacks and glories of “The Scenic.” The show runs August 20-22 and 27-29.

Labor Day weekend – September 3-5 – features a full-scale concert of folk, rock, and pop music from the 1960s. The versatile musician and instrument-maker Ken Bloom of Pilot Mountain – once a student of Pete Seeger; singer-actress Christine Gorelick of Winston-Salem; and West Virginia singer-songwriter Deane Kern headline this “giant party” of 60s standards and soulful folk songs. “This was a stirring, romantic world of mind-blowing music,” Levering said. “Bring a blanket – and your Love Interest.”

The season closes with “Come Quick, I’m Dying,” and original play by Heather Elliott, presented September 10-12. It’s a lighthearted and funny story about a mountain woman who is concerned that her daughters are going to lose the old ways and lessons of healing and herbology. With her sister, a conservative and wacky free spirit, she pretends to be dying in order to bring her daughters home.

“We can do experimental and fun things at our theatre,” Levering said. “We can give local artists the opportunity to spread their wings and try new things.” This summer will certainly do that. For more information contact Frank Levering at 336-786-4316 or at furbanski@roadrunner.com; or check out the website – leveringorchard.com.