Press Release from the Parkway Playhouse:
BURNSVILLE, NC — “Mom, I’m BORED,” are the words you won’t have to hear this summer! “Reading is Alive,” a new theatre outreach program created through Parkway Playhouse, kicks off in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties in June. The family friendly musical, A Year with Frog and Toad will tour local venues, parks, and libraries bringing the cultural experience of theatre to children and families throughout the mountains. Collaborating with AMY Regional Libraries, PATH’s Sizzlin’ Summer Series, and Penland School of crafts, “Reading is Alive” offers an entertaining and educational experience for the entire family. Along with the live musical, children will have a chance to create a one-of-a-kind craft with a Penland teaching artist, sign up for the summer reading program through the library, and receive a free book. The ultimate goal of the program is to encourage summer reading while connecting literacy and the arts and giving children of our rural community the cultural experience of live theatre. The dates and locations of each performance are as follows:
June 3rd: The Orchard at Altapass, Spruce Pine @ 11:30am
June 10th: Lower Street Downtown Park, Spruce Pine @ 10am
June 17th: Bakersville Creek Walk, Rhododendron Festival, 11am
June 24th: Burnsville Town Square, 10am
July 10th: Yancey Library @11am
July 12th: Avery County Library @11am
July 13th: Spruce Pine Library @11am
Parkway Playhouse is grateful to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and The Yancey Fund for making this outreach program a reality.
Additionally, the Parkway Players are excited to present 39 Steps, opening June 10.
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale!
The 39 Steps is set to open at Parkway Playhouse on June 10th. Directed by Parkway Playhouse’s Director of Education & Outreach, Chelsea Wilson Thayer, the production stars Jake Deyton, Myra McCoury, Strother Stingley and Mike Yow. Performances are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm through June 24th.
Following the performance on opening night, June 10th, a complementary Opening Night Reception for the cast and audience will be held. And on Sundays, June 11th and 18th, the cast will sit for post show discussions. Audience members can ask questions about everything from costumes to scenic design, acting and their individual roles in the production.
Tickets range from $10 for students to $20 for adults. All performances are at the historic Parkway Playhouse theatre, located at 202 Green Mountain Drive in Burnsville, NC. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Parkway Playhouse Box Office (open 1-5pm Thursdays through Saturdays), calling 828-682-4285, or by visiting www.parkwayplayhouse.com.
For more information regarding “Reading is Alive,” please contact Chelsea Wilson Thayer at cthayer@parkwayplayhouse.com. For more information about the Parkway Playhouse, performances, volunteer opportunities, classes, auditions, and more please visit www.parkwayplayhouse.com, or call 828-682-4285.
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