APPALACIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘23
Over two nights in December at the Vance Birthplace in Weaverville, we once again presented one of the greatest Christmas stories ever told, but with our own Zebulon Vance right smack dab in the middle. Through the theatrical magic of toy theatre, we transported the audience directly into the Christmas Carol for an illuminating journey through the entire site of the Birthplace. We created this American Myth to spark a conversation around empathy, the complexity of Zebulon Vance, and to highlight the lives of the enslaved people that lived there. This year’s presentation was a further reimagining of this American Myth by our Puppetry Director, Mikayla Wilson.
The Appalachian Christmas Carol was created in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
December 7th & 9th
THE FINAL PHASE OF PLAY DEVELOPMENT
November 10, 11 @ 7:30 & November 17,18 @ 7:30
Diana Wortham Theatre
A Different Myth, a collaboration between the AMC and Different Strokes!, shepherded two new Myths with our inaugural playwriting cohort. These live readings were the culmination of the Different Myth process, where the play was presented as a scripted reading in front of a live audience. After the show, the audience had an opportunity to provide feedback for the playwright as they prepare the play to be presented in a Different Strokes! season.
LEAH & THE RABBIT
CREATED AND DIRECTED BY MIKAYLA WILSON
A JUNETEENTH TOUR OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY
THIS AMERICAN MYTH WILL NEXT APPEAR ACROSS BUNCOMBE COUNTY DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE
With the support of ArtsAVL, Leah & the Rabbit will tour Buncombe libraries with a stop at the Vance Birthplace historical site in between thanks to the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group. Leah & the Rabbit was originally created in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace staff for their 2022 Juneteenth celebration and has had subsequent performances as part of the City of Asheville's Art in the Heart, the Asheville Fringe Festival, and the Asheville Amadeus Festival.
Written, created, and directed by local artist Mikayla Wilson, this play features the art of puppetry and live storytelling as visitors witness some of the traditional Brer Rabbit tales interwoven with the story of Leah & Sandy, two people enslaved by the Vance family. Three puppeteers and one live actor will present Leah as an elder weaving the yarns of Brer Rabbit and friends. As the show progresses, Leah finds herself pulled into her own story with the trickster Rabbit. This puppet show was created to spark a conversation around appropriation, emancipation, and the forgotten stories of the enslaved people owned by the Vance family.
TOUR SCHEDULE
JUNE 10 @ 11AM ~ FAIRVIEW LIBRARY
JUNE 10 @ 2PM ~ LEICESTER LIBRARY
JUNE 17TH @ TBA ~ VANCE BIRTHPLACE HISTORICAL SITE
JUNE 24 @ 11AM ~ SWANNANOA LIBRARY
JUNE 24 @ 2PM ~ PACK LIBRARY
LIBRARY SHOWS: With the support of ArtsAVL, these shows are free for all; simply show up and enjoy the show!
VANCE BIRTHPLACE SHOW: With support of the Mountain History and Culture Group, this will be a ticketed event with a pre-show historical tour and post-show moderated discussion. Seats will be limited.
THIS AMERICAN MYTH APPEARed AS PART OF THE ASHEVILLE FRINGE FESTIVAL
Leah & the Rabbit was originally created in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group for the Site’s Juneteenth celebration and had a subsequent performance in front of the former site of the Vance monument as part of the City of Asheville's Art in the Heart. Written, created, and directed by local artist Mikayla Wilson, this play features the art of puppetry and live storytelling as visitors witness some of the traditional Brer Rabbit tales interwoven with the story of Leah & Sandy, two people enslaved by the Vance family. Three puppeteers and one live actor will present Leah as an elder weaving the yarns of Brer Rabbit and friends. As the show progresses, Leah finds herself pulled into her own story with the trickster Rabbit. This puppet show was created to spark a conversation around appropriation, emancipation, and the forgotten stories of the enslaved people owned by the Vance family.
WHEN: Thursday, March 23 at 7pm & Saturday, March 25 at 7pm
WHERE: The Story Parlor
AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘22
Over three nights in December at the Vance Birthplace in Weaverville, we once again presented one of the greatest Christmas stories ever told, but with our own Zebulon Vance right smack dab in the middle. Through the theatrical magic of toy theatre, we transported the audience directly into the Christmas Carol for an illuminating journey through the entire site of the Birthplace. We created this American Myth to spark a conversation around empathy, the complexity of Zebulon Vance, and to highlight the lives of the enslaved people that lived there. This year’s presentation was a reimagining of this American Myth by our new Puppetry Director, Mikayla Wilson.
The Appalachian Christmas Carol was create in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
LEAH & THE RABBIT
AT THE MONUMENT STUMP
CREATED AND DIRECTED BY MIKAYLA WILSON
As part of the City of Asheville’s Art in the Heart*, “Leah and the Rabbit” which was originally created in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group, will make the journey to downtown Asheville where the Vance Monument once stood. The show talks about the forgotten stories of the enslaved people owned by the Vance family. Leah Erwin is one of twenty seven known enslaved people that were owned by and lived with the Vance family. Leah’s story is paired with the tales of Br’er Rabbit, a popular folk story character that was passed down by enslaved people but appropriated by white storytellers with racial bias. Many Black people were brought to Asheville for cheap or enslaved labor to support the tourist industry in the antebellum period. Now, Black people must compete with systems that favor the wealthy or privileged. This story is meant to question the people who are being removed from Asheville and who can afford to stay.
WHERE: PACK SQUARE IN FRONT OF THE THE VANCE STUMP
WHEN: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH @ 11 AM AND 11:45 AM (30 min. length)
* A City of Asheville Program in partnership with Buncombe County
Video Courtesy of the City of Asheville
leah & the rabbit ‘22
A CONVERSATION AROUND RESILIENCY & RECLAIMING NARRATIVES
The American Myth Center and the Vance Birthplace State Historic Site partnered for Juneteenth to present an afternoon of historical drama and discussion on the appropriation of African American stories, resiliency among enslaved people, and the romanticized view of the plantation past. This event was created in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
Act I – Born in the Briar Patch – For the first “act,” visitors stepped inside the 1790s slave dwelling where they met staff, learned about Brer Rabbit along with Leah and Sandy Erwin.
Act II - Leah & the Rabbit - Written, created, and directed by local artist Mikayla Wilson, this play featured the art of puppetry and live storytelling as visitors witnessed some of the traditional Brer Rabbit tales interwoven with the story of Leah & Sandy.
Act III - Discussion - For our third “act” we were honored to welcome Dr. Oralene Simmons who held post play discussion on the appropriation of African American stories, Juneteenth, and the many threads of resiliency throughout history.
AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘21
Over three nights in December at the Vance Birthplace in Weaverville, we will present one of the greatest Christmas stories ever told, but with our own Zebulon Vance right smack dab in the middle. Through the theatrical magic of toy theatre, we transport the audience directly into the Christmas Carol for an illuminating journey through the entire site of the Birthplace. We created this American Myth to spark a conversation around empathy, the complexity of Zebulon Vance, and to highlight the lives of the enslaved people that lived there.
The Appalachian Christmas Carol was create in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
VENUS & VANCE: A CONVERSATION AROUND RECLAIMING NARRATIVES, COMPLEXITY, AND EMPATHY
The American Myth Center and the Vance Birthplace State Historic Site partnered once again to present an evening of historical drama and discussion on the interpretation of the plantation and race in western North Carolina.
This two-act piece began with a viewing of the annual Appalachian Christmas Carol--which follows the story of Venus, an enslaved woman that lived on the Vance plantation--and concluded with a panel discussion on the complicated legacy of Zebulon Vance, our collective histories, how we interpret them, and the role of museums and historic sites.
DEC 5, 10, & 12
Guest Speakers:
• Katherine Cutshall, Collections Manager, North Carolina Room at Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, North Carolina
• Adrienne Nirde, Assistant Director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
• Vera Cecelski, Site Manager, Historic Stagville State Historic Site
• Cortina Caldwell, Director, adePROJECT
• Steve Nash, Associate Professor of History, East Tennessee State University, Author of Reconstruction’s Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains.
• Sasha Mitchell
• Joseph McGill, Founder, Slave Dwelling Project
The Appalachian Christmas Carol was create in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
an APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL, 2019
Over three nights in December at the Vance Birthplace in Weaverville, we presented one of the greatest Christmas stories ever told, but with our own Zebulon Vance right smack dab in the middle. Through the theatrical magic of toy theatre, we transported the audience directly into the Christmas Carol for an illuminating journey through the entire site of the Birthplace. We created this American Myth to spark a conversation around empathy and the complexity of Zebulon Vance.
The Appalachian Christmas Carol was create in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historic Site staff with the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group.
December 12, 13, & 14, 2019
THE BACCHAE PROJECT: A CULINARY CONCERT READING
Save the Date: October 20, 4pm
The fallen soldiers of the South return home from the Great War in wooden boxes while their widows funnel their despair into the making of an all-powerful God. This new God, Dionotos, soothes his followers by countering the terrible truths of their lost war with comfortable lies. The Bacchae Project tells the story of those who attempt to stop this new God and those who worship Him.
The power of a false narrative is on the rise in our country and it’s not only dividing people, it’s literally ripping families apart. Millenia ago, Euripides tackled mass hysteria with his play, The Bacchae. Over a hundred years ago, just after the Civil War, the Ladies Memorial Associations of the southern states would begin rituals that evolved into the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. These two worlds meet in the mythical land of Thebes, Virginia, where our story takes place.
Told through poetry, puppetry, and music, The Bacchae Project will compel its audience to ask how we cut through the false narratives and agree on truth.
This Culinary Concert Reading at Mountain Fiesta was a first peek at this developing production, slated to play across Buncombe County in summer of 2020. The evening’s ticket included appetizers and small plates, catered by Chef Mo.
the ballad of romeo & Juliet ‘19
AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘18
DECEMBER 6 & 7
VANCE BIRTHPLACE, WEAVERVILLE
THE BALLAD OF R & J ‘18
THUR, FRI, SAT IN JUNE, 2018 (except June 23)
68 HAYWOOD, DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE
A community event like no other. Infused with bluegrass music, Shakespeare's poetry, and the Appalachian tongue, The Ballad of R & J is a busking corner turned block party with theatrical event right smack in the middle.
If you or your organization are interested in hosting future installations, be it one night, one weekend or more, contact: curator@americanmythcenter.org.
AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘17
JANUARY 19TH & 20TH
VANCE BIRTHPLACE, WEAVERVILLE