It has been a long intermission, but the NoneSuch Playmakers are back.
After a 16-month pandemic hiatus, the Surry County-based theater group returns to the stage of the L.H. Jones Auditorium August 6, 7 and 8 with the “Classic Country Carousel,” an evening of country music tunes from the 1960s through the 1980s. It is the first of three productions the Playmakers are planning through the end of the year.
“We’re picking up where we left off,” said NoneSuch co-founder Brack Llewellyn. “In March of 2020 we were literally a week away from opening this show when the lockdown came. At the time we thought we might be delayed a few weeks at most. Little did we know.”
Getting the cast back together for in-person rehearsals after 15 months was a joyous occasion.
“We spent the first half-hour just catching up,” said Llewellyn. “We’d all communicated online during quarantine, but it felt great just to see everyone and talk—even if we were masked and six feet apart.”
The “Classic Country Carousel” is a revue of vintage country hits made famous by the likes of Hank Williams, Charley Pride, Reba McIntyre, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. The audience can take a stroll down memory lane with favorites like “Silver Thread and Golden Needles,” “Kiss An Angel Good Morning,” “Jolene,” “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Jackson.” The group will sing to fully-orchestrated music tracks.
Cast members for the “Classic Country Carousel” are Dani Davis, Shanna Jones, Angela Llewellyn, Cindy Southern Marion and Chris Powell. Brian Greene will provide sound. Jessica Llewellyn is the stage manager and follow spot operator. Brack Llewellyn will serve as the master of ceremonies.
Those attending the “Classic Country Carousel” will notice one difference at the door—instead of a set ticket price, the show will be a pay-what-you can event.
“We know that the pandemic has hit many people hard financially,” Llewellyn explained. “We’re asking our audience to pay what they can comfortably afford. We want as many people as possible to come out and enjoy the show without it being cost-prohibitive.”
A Pay-What-You-Can can (an actual metal can) will be placed on a table at the exit for audience members to use as they see fit. The Playmakers will take the same approach for the rest of their re-scheduled season as well, which includes a full-length comedy in September and a Christmas show in December.
A portion of the proceeds for the “Classic Country Carousel” will go to support the work of the YVEDDI Jones Family Resource Center.
Performances are Friday August 6 and Saturday August 7 at 7 p.m., and Sunday August 8 at 2 p.m. All performances will be held at the L.H. Jones Auditorium, 215 Jones School Road, Mount Airy. The show is family-friendly.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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