Lees-McRae Summer Theatre returns to the stage for its 39th season with a bright spotlight on the extraordinary people of the High Country – past and present. While there’s only one full-scale professional “Broadway-style” musical this summer, it’s a big one with an encore staging of From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story – one of the most inspiring mountain stories ever told. The second production is a joyous jamboree that showcases many of today’s talents from the Blue Ridge.
July 16-23, 2024: From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story
The inspiring show about the early days of Banner Elk first ran in 2019 with immediate requests for its return. The extended run will include eight shows.
Get to know the man that brought Banner Elk to life and changed the course of its history forever. The story of Edgar Tufts is compelling and heartwarming. He arrived in our isolated mountain valley in 1895 as a seminary student to organize a church. That was just the beginning. After falling in love with the local people, he devoted his life to finding solutions to the many needs he discovered. His determination and faith brought healthcare, education, shelter, electricity and hope to this remote area full of poverty.
Set to music by John Thomas and Tommy Oaks, with book by Janet Barton Speer (the team who brought you The Denim King; the Moses Cone Story, America’s Artist: The Norman Rockwell Story, and The Wright Sister). Using traditional mountain music, mixed with a lyrical style, audiences will once again be moved and inspired by this great man who had no patience with boundaries.
“When I came to Lees-McRae in 1978, I was captivated by the story of Rev. Edgar Tufts,” Speer said. “Edgar Tufts became enamored with mountain people [when he first arrived here]—most uneducated, but abundant in wisdom and wiliness to work an unforgiving land. Banner Elk is a town based on service, and it still is. The service of learning, the service of attending to marginalized children, the service of healing, and the service of faith. Our history of service deserves celebration and that’s what we hope to do with this play.” Get info and buy tickets.
Shows run on July 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 at 7 p.m., with matinee shows on July 20, 21, and 23 at 2 p.m.
July 26, 2024: High Country Talent Jamboree
After the big success of last year’s debut of a variety show, the new “High Country Talent Jamboree” will highlight some of the many special aspects of life in the North Carolina mountains, featuring the best music, dancing, comedy, and songs of Southern Appalachia. The show begins at 7 p.m.
Lees-McRae Summer Theatre has provided top quality, professional theatre in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Dr. Janet Barton Speer founded Lees-McRae Summer Theatre in 1985 with a simple goal of making the audience a happier or better people. This unique hybrid of professional, educational, and community theatre includes aspiring performers and technicians working alongside award-winning industry professionals. Get info and buy tickets.