There’s a lot that can go wrong at a theater. Anything from a bad opening night to an injury can be catastrophic and ultimately bring production to a halt. For this reason, theater folks can be some of the most superstitious people, and here at Parkway Playhouse, we’re no exception! So what are some of the theater superstitions people believe in?
#1 The Ghost Light
A ghost light is a single light left on stage after everyone goes home for the night. Practically, this light is to ensure safety as everyone exits the theater for the night. However, many theater folk also believe that this light wards away evil spirits or that the light pleases the spirits by illuminating the stage for them or keeping them company.
#2 Break A Leg
You might have heard people say “Break a Leg” to someone before their performance. There are two versions of why this saying came to be. Many at the theater believe that good luck means bad luck, so saying “Break a Leg” is a way to say good luck without cursing the performer. Another story is that performers used to have to stay behind the “leg line” if they weren’t performing and weren’t going to be paid, so saying “Break a Leg” was you saying that you hoped they got to perform that night and receive payment.
#3 A Bad Dress Rehearsal
Many believe that a bad dress rehearsal means a great opening night. The origin of this probably came from a matter of probability or to make actors feel better after a less-than-perfect rehearsal. Either way, it comes as a comfort to some and gives them the boost needed to make opening night wonderful.
#4 The Scottish Play
Many believe that saying Macbeth out loud in a theater is bad luck and it’s often referred to as “The Scottish Play” to avoid this. The lore surrounding this bad luck includes a string of accidents in theaters where this play was produced such as actors dying mysterious deaths, props being replaced with real objects resulting in actors being stabbed with real knives, falling stage weights almost crushing actors, in-house riots between actors causing hundreds of deaths, and actors walking off the stage plummeting into orchestra pits.
#5 No Whistling Backstage
Starting in the 17th century, it was common for dockworkers to take jobs as stagehands during their off-season winter months. Because they often communicated with whistling, they brought the practice to the theater. These whistles communicated everything from queues to entrances and set changes. For this reason, whistling backstage could result in chaos or even injury. While it’s not common to whistle to communicate backstage anymore, the practice of not whistling to avoid stirring up bad luck has stuck around.
Do you believe in these superstitions? Let us know!
Our first-ever Appalachian Playwriting Festival is showing September 8-10, 2023! This festival will feature staged readings of three scripts that amplify voices here in Appalachia. We reached out to the playwrights of these scripts to find out more about them and their plays!
What is your connection to the Appalachian Region?
Pam Kingsley: I grew up in the rural beauty of the Southern Finger Lakes region of New York that tickles the northern fringes of Appalachia. In fact, several family members have hiked the Appalachian Trail (no small feat). The beauty of that expanse and culture has always been part of the fabric of life. I did my undergrad Theatre work in southern Indiana, just over the Ohio River from the Kentucky border. My first college roommate was a Kentuckian, so I traveled the state getting to know the richness of that landscape, its fascinating history, and the kind and generous people who lived there in the western reaches of the Appalachian Range. Kentucky is also famous for the “The Bourbon Trail.” But that’s a story for another time! While my play, Minister of Sorrow, is set in Kentucky, I added a bit of “Huck Finn” as a nod to Mark Twain’s (Samuel Clemens) roots in Elmira, NY, and the Southern Finger Lakes region of Appalachia. Twain spent his summers writing in Elmira at his family’s residence. This is where he wrote much of his most famous work including parts of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Nedra Pezold Roberts: I feel I am Appalachian by adoption, since I’m from New Orleans and my heritage is Cajun. (However, as if to predict my future split identity, the family tree does include a great-grandmother who was a full-blood Cherokee woman from North Carolina!) I moved to Atlanta half a century ago and right away the locals told me I was now on the “break line” (geographically but also culturally) between Georgia’s plains and mountains, what they sometimes called the “backcountry” or just “Appalachia.” Even the weather in Atlanta is hard to predict since we are caught between two systems, the lowland/coastal system and the mountain system. After relocating to Atlanta, the first vacations my husband and I took were to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and driving the full Blue Ridge Parkway. Our favorite nearby city to visit quickly became Asheville. I have lost count of the times we’ve gone to Lake Santeetlah near Robbinsville or driven the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway. Why, I even began learning to play the Appalachian dulcimer.
Kyle R. Thomas: Born and raised in the great state of Tennessee. My father resides in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee, which served as the backdrop for my play.
What does being Appalachian mean to you?
Pam Kingsley: I am Scotch-Irish and German, so my heritage has a good deal to do with my Appalachian sentiment, sense of humor, independent streak, and love of the exuberant, humorous, and heartbreaking storytelling and music that was part and parcel of family gatherings and community life in rural southern New York. There is something very telling about the feeling I get deep under my breastbone when I hear a fine, plaintive fiddle or dulcimer play Omie Wise or Amazing Grace–and the joy of a jump-up banjo and flying fiddle playing Coal Creek March and Cherry River Rag.
Kyle R. Thomas: First and foremost, I take great pride in being Appalachian. I mean, what a beautiful part of the world to grow up in! Growing up here taught me so many things, namely a love for your land as much as a love for your family. But as a playwright, there is so much rich history to explore here, and so many more great characters to study.
What inspired you to write your play?
Pam Kingsley: I wanted to find a way to take a glimpse into Appalachia during the Great Depression. Minister of Sorrow tumbled out of me after I discovered the fascinating history of WPA’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project and the people it served during the Great Depression. I took a deep dive into research on that period in American history and put pen to paper when the pandemic plunged the world into isolation, and I had no excuses left for procrastination. The themes of hardship, resilience, faith, and love are woven throughout Minister of Sorrow—all embodied in Emma and those she serves. As I wrote the play I listened to the plain spun poetry of Appalachian and Kentucky Folk Music. It nourished my work and I included that music in my play.
Nedra Pezold Roberts: I cannot count how many times I have taught Sophocles’ Oedipus cycle. King Creon ordered Antigone and Ismene not to bury their rebel brother Polynices, despite what the gods required. Antigone performed a symbolic burial anyway. But as my Olivia says, “Not everything dead stays buried.” And so Antigone’s impulse for justice and honesty became the genesis of this play. Sweet Tea is her modern incarnation. Olivia is my sassy but wise Tiresias; Althea and Lurleen embody Creon’s need to boss the world. My women are shaped by their time, their culture, and their individual journeys. It is their job and their lot to discover themselves—and become women now. My hope is that by the end of my play, an audience will want to talk about what they’ve witnessed and find honesty and justice at the end of that journey.
Kyle R. Thomas: I write about things that bother me, questions I can’t answer. I write to make sense of things that scare me. As a father, the loss of a child is unthinkable. The prospect of them defiling their resting place is beyond comprehension. How could someone possibly find the strength to do that? Additionally, I believe the story of what the TVA brought to the state of Tennessee, and how they completely upended so many families and lives, is a story that is not told often enough. This play is my attempt to find humanity in the chaos.
What do you hope will stick with audiences after they watch the reading of your play?
Pam Kingsley: I just want audiences “set awhile” and become part of this moment in time–a time when women rode horses and pack mules up the steep and often treacherous mountain trails to connect their Appalachian neighbors with the outside world through the books, magazines, newspapers, and friendship they brought.
Nedra Pezold Roberts: There is a line in Antigone when Creon orders the guards to toss Ismene and Antigone into prison as a lesson about what it means for them to assume their roles as adults: “They must be women now!” Creon’s chilling order highlights for me those varied but never-really-changing strictures that hold women back from reaching full potential—and the boomerang ensnares men too. My Sweet Tea, Althea, Olivia, Betsy, and Lurleen confront challenges ranging from workplace discrimination and racism to marriage and class/caste. And their struggles illuminate as well what the men—Skip, Trey, even the Boss—must confront. With any luck, my story, while of this moment, will also have timeless reverberations, uniting 21st-century America with 5th-century B.C.E. Athens. I want the ancient Antigone myth to meet modern feminism in a fresh and compelling way. At its best, after all, what theatre does is whisk us away from our own lives in order to bring us back to our lives with new insights, and new understandings.
Kyle R. Thomas: This is a story about dignity. It is a story about having everything stripped away, up to and including your family possessions and worldview. I believe we live in a time where a lot of people feel powerless over their own lives. The main character in this play, Laura, is tasked with some unspeakable acts throughout. She has to grapple with humiliation and loss and must find the will to carry on, which is something I hope will resonate with audiences.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Pam Kingsley: I am an actress, director, and playwright with several hundred theatre productions to my credit. Currently, I am directing Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead for Spokane (WA) Shakespeare in the Park. My own plays have been produced by theatres in London UK and throughout the U.S., including Boston, Cleveland, Columbia, Grosse Point, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, New Haven, NYC, the State University of New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Spokane. My play Mother’s Day was a 2019 finalist for the James Stevenson Prize for Short Comedic Plays and won the “Audience Choice Award” at the 31st Playwrights’ Forum Festival (PFF) in the Pacific Northwest. I recently had three works selected for Stage Left Theater’s “Masterpiece Monologues” series and was commissioned to write and perform a solo piece, Sleepwalking, for the EMPOWER WOMEN Festival. Sleepwalking was also selected and streamed online for Irondale Ensemble’s 2022 ON WOMEN Festival in NYC. My play Boxes won the “Audience Choice Award” at the 32nd PFF (2022). Minister of Sorrow has just been selected to be produced in December of 2024 as part of Stage Left Theater’s Season ’24. I have a BFA in Theatre Performance and an MA in Theatre Education and have taught acting and playwriting throughout the Pacific Northwest where I currently make my home. I am the mother of three grown sons.
Nedra Pezold Roberts: For several decades, I taught English and drama at Loyola University of the South in New Orleans and then The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. I opted for early retirement to write my own plays instead of teaching others’ plays. My first drama was an O’Neill finalist, and since then I have had production runs and staged readings coast to coast plus Canada and the UK. When I attend one of my plays, I like to sit in the back so I can observe the audience. When someone laughs or gasps, or when someone wipes an eye or sits forward in the chair, I know I got ’em. What a great feeling!
Kyle R. Thomas: Beyond the official bio, I am an avid reader and lover of history. I grew up in Shelbyville, Tennessee, a fabulous small town that sits at the intersection of walking horses and whiskey, both of which naturally became loves of mine. Over the past few years, I have developed a wonderful working relationship with Murfreesboro Little Theatre, and we just shared an unforgettable experience in New York City over the summer. Another play of mine, This House Is Not a Home, was selected for the 2023 Rogue Theatre Festival, and I handed over the production to the Murfreesboro Little Theatre team and allowed them to take a show on the road. The show was cast locally, and the set was loaded in the back of the director’s truck and driven up to Manhattan. The show was produced at Theatre Row in June, in the heart of the theatre district. It felt like the ground shook a little bit in New York City on opening night. I can say with confidence that it was an experience that will not be forgotten anytime soon. I still maintain that theatre is the most vital art form.
Will you be joining us for the Appalachian Playwriting Festival? If so, is there anything else you’re planning on checking out while you’re in Burnsville?
Pam Kingsley: I cannot attend the Festival because of another Theatre work commitment I have.
Nedra Pezold Roberts: Yes, I am excited about attending the festival. John and I will make our HQ at the Carolina Country Inn for several days. This is the first time I have had a play reading at Parkway Playhouse, although I’ve had several plays showcased in the Asheville area (beginning with the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre in Mars Hill in 2011, and since then Hendersonville Theatre and UNCA and Autumn Players and Asheville Community Theatre).
The Web (e.g., Top-Ten (exploreburnsville.com) and THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Burnsville – 2023 (with Photos) – Tripadvisor ) has already taught me that there are far too many things in and around Burnsville for one trip, so we will scout the area to build a “bucket list” for next time. What a list of enticing possibilities: the Downtown (Town Square and Main Street), the Rush Wray Museum, the John Wesley McElroy House, the Quilt Block Trails, so many Yancey County art studios and galleries, Roaring Park Falls, the Summit Trail at Mt Mitchell, oh my!
Kyle R. Thomas: Yes! Primarily, I am just looking forward to immersing myself in the town and getting to know everyone involved with the playwriting and literary festivals.
Black Comedy is showing August 25 – September 3, 2023, here at Parkway Playhouse! It’s 1967 and a young sculptor and his fiancé have borrowed fancy furniture from a neighbor without his permission in the hopes of impressing a millionaire art collector. When a blackout plunges the party into darkness everyone must navigate the room, surprise visitors, unexpected mistresses, and angry fathers as they collide into stolen furniture, trap doors, and each other.
We reached out to director, Jeff Catanese, to find out more about her and her experience working on this exciting comedy!
What about this show are you most looking forward to?
Hearing the laughter of the audience!
What are some of the challenges and wins you’ve experienced working on this production so far?
Farce is always difficult, but we have such a great team! I think there are going to be plenty of laughs for everyone!
How did you get into theatre?
In 6th grade, we put on a play. I was hooked from “lights up.”
What’s your favorite thing to do in Burnsville?
Parkway Playhouse, of course!
What have you loved so far about working with Parkway Playhouse?
A great team of creative and supportive people.
Biography
Jeff Catanese (Director) is a writer, director, actor, and teacher who lives in Asheville. He is the Artistic Director of Attic Salt Theatre Company and co-author of three drama education books for Scholastic, Inc. Recently, Jeff has directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) for Mars Hill University, Asheville Community Theatre’s Elf, and Lies for Attic Salt Theatre Company. Jeff is thankful to make his Parkway Playhouse debut with this show.
Black Comedy is showing August 25 – September 3, 2023, here at Parkway Playhouse! It’s 1967 and a young sculptor and his fiancé have borrowed fancy furniture from a neighbor without his permission in the hopes of impressing a millionaire art collector. When a blackout plunges the party into darkness everyone must navigate the room, surprise visitors, unexpected mistresses, and angry fathers as they collide into stolen furniture, trap doors, and each other.
We reached out to actor, Christy Montesdeoca, to find out more about her and her experience working on this exciting comedy!
What about this show are you most looking forward to?
Laughing… which we already are laughing a lot.
What are some of the challenges and wins you’ve experienced working on this production so far?
It is challenging to stay in character when your fellow actors do such wonderfully funny things. I feel like it is a win when I see our stage manager Nichole laugh even though she sees us do these things every rehearsal.
How did you get into theatre?
I did my first community theater production of The Music Man when I was 12 years old in 6th grade.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Burnsville?
Theater.
What have you loved so far about working with Parkway Playhouse?
The people. There are wonderful people on stage, backstage, and in the audience!
Biography
Christy Montesdeoca (Barbara) is an actor around Asheville, having previously been seen in such productions as Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike, BOOM and most recently Lies at Attic Salt, as well as Sweeney Todd and Avenue Q at Asheville Community Theatre. Fluent in Spanish, she is also a Certified Healthcare Interpreter in WNC, often found working in clinics, doctor’s offices, schools, and more. Her most important role is Mama to her kiddos! She is Happy to be back on stage at Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville where last year she had the pleasure to be in the production Working.
Black Comedy is showing August 25 – September 3, 2023, here at Parkway Playhouse! It’s 1967 and a young sculptor and his fiancé have borrowed fancy furniture from a neighbor without his permission in the hopes of impressing a millionaire art collector. When a blackout plunges the party into darkness everyone must navigate the room, surprise visitors, unexpected mistresses, and angry fathers as they collide into stolen furniture, trap doors, and each other.
We reached out to actor, Adam Arthur, to find out more about him and his experience working on this exciting comedy!
What about this show are you most looking forward to?
I am most excited about the physical comedy the show requires.
What are some of the challenges and wins you’ve experienced working on this production so far?
Farce is challenging because the blocking is almost choreography. The movements of the characters must mesh precisely, or else the comedy won’t work as intended.
How did you get into theatre?
Through my university.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Burnsville?
Burnsville is a great base camp to begin to explore all the outdoor activities the area has to offer.
What have you loved so far about working with Parkway Playhouse?
It’s been such a great experience to work with truly talented people.
Biography
Adam Arthur was last seen on stage playing another mustachioed colonel in Clue for Asheville Community Theatre, also directed by Mr. Catanese. He is also the co-creator, along with Troy Burnette, of ‘the Bucket”, an original comedic sci-fi podcast that will premier later this year.
For a few of our Parkway Playhouse Junior students, this isn’t their first experience performing in Disney’s Beauty & the Beast JR here on the Parkway Playhouse stage! We dug deep into our archives to 2016 and reached out to our students to talk with them about their experiences then versus now!
Ellie Murphy
Ellie was 8 years old during the 2016 production! This was her 7th show at Parkway. She played Lefou and she remembers thinking about how the guy who played Gaston was new to theatre, and she made it her mission to help him out! She has grown up at Parkway and has learned so much.
Blake Thayer and Beckett Thayer
Blake was 7 when she played the cheese grater and Beckett was 5 years old when he played a salt shaker. It was Blake’s 3rd Parkway show and Beckett’s 2nd. Blake remembers making their “stores” in the Mountain Heritage Center. She and Jacee Williams made a patisserie for their store. Beckett doesn’t really remember Beauty and the Beast JR but he remembers The Lion King JR from the year before because he was baby Simba and got lifted in the air.
Melinda Bain
Melinda Bain was 9 when she played Chip. “This was my first parkway playhouse experience and I was nine years old. It was super fun! My favorite memory is walking backstage and seeing a giant plant monster from Little Shop of Horrors and being told that I would wear that plant’s pot for my Chip costume.”
Kai Stella
Kai Stella played Cogs(Cogsworth), age 7. Kai remembers that she expected a full-body suit with a big white plate attached, that would make her look like the plates from the movie. She was disappointed.
Elijah Harriger
Elijah was 5 years old during the last camp. He loved being on stage and performing!
The Star-Spangled Girl is showing June 30-July 9, 2023 here at Parkway Playhouse! This hilarious Neil Simon comedy is about roommates Andy and Norman who publish a protest magazine out of their apartment. When Sophie, an all-American Olympic swimmer, moves in next door Norman falls madly in love, but his wooing tactics are an absolute mess.
We reached out to actor, Noah Summers, to find out more about him and his experience working on this exciting comedy!
What about this show are you the most looking forward to?
The audience! I’m so excited to share this timeless piece of American comedy with Burnsville! I don’t think I’ve ever in my 20+ years laughed this much in rehearsals leading up to a show. I do not know how I’m gonna keep a straight face on stage.
What is your favorite pickup line?
I’d say bless you, but it looks like you already have been.
If you had to list 5 songs that represent how much fun this show is, what would they be?
Stuck on you – Elvis Presley
Rockin Robin – Jackson 5
Can’t take my eyes off you – Frankie Vallie
A man without love – Engelbert Humperdinck
Whats new pussy cat – Tom Jones
Listen to our full playlist created by our Star-Spangled cast HERE.
How did you get into theatre?
When I was 4 years old I got bit by the acting bug and was a jack in the box in a church musical that would pop up and give one-liners and now it’s been my goal to pop up and give one-liners every day since.
What’s your favorite thing to do in Burnsville?
I love getting a pint and some pizza down on yonder at the Homeplace.
See a few of our favorite things to do in Burnsville, HERE.
What have you loved so far about working with Parkway Playhouse?
Everything. They are a true diamond in the rough. I can’t think of any other theater in the area that I’d want to perform at over Parkway Playhouse. It’s historic. It’s rustic. It’s show biz.
Biography
With 20+ years of live performance experience. He has traveled the country as a professional wrestler and actor. He’s never been to Seattle. His favorite colour is yellow. He has a beautiful wife too! Don’t miss The Star-Spangled Girl showing June 30-July 9, 2023! Grab your tickets here: https://parkwayplayhouse.com/tickets/get-tickets/
Stage Whispers 