Gloria Maddox Theatre
151 W. 26th St, 7th Floor (inside T. Schreiber Studio) |
On This Mountain
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A Note from the Playwright
It’s true for me that a play chooses me. I was reading, mostly for pleasure, about the Appalachian region because I was in Virginia at Barter Theater while my play Half a World Away, about Burmese refugees was being produced there (but that’s another story of how I came to write about the Burmese). I saw mention of “a wild Melungeon girl living on that mountain” and her image and idea lingered in my mind, haunted me. Who was she? Why was she alone on the mountain? and what is a Melungeon anyway?
Research led me into fascinating worlds of DNA, the slave trade, laws regulating populations, the Klan, Civil Rights, and mixed marriages in today’s world. Also a friend raised in West Virginia talked to me about his boyhood hunting, cooking and caves…and a play was born. As I began drafting, I immediately felt I knew the heart of Lindy, her loneliness and questions of identity; of her parents who fell in love in a society which said “No” to their love; of an itinerant preacher who found racial laws unacceptable; of an outcast who yearned for his own family.
Don’t we all want to be loved and accepted for who we are? Don’t we all want family?
Research led me into fascinating worlds of DNA, the slave trade, laws regulating populations, the Klan, Civil Rights, and mixed marriages in today’s world. Also a friend raised in West Virginia talked to me about his boyhood hunting, cooking and caves…and a play was born. As I began drafting, I immediately felt I knew the heart of Lindy, her loneliness and questions of identity; of her parents who fell in love in a society which said “No” to their love; of an itinerant preacher who found racial laws unacceptable; of an outcast who yearned for his own family.
Don’t we all want to be loved and accepted for who we are? Don’t we all want family?
Meet The Cast |
Meet The Team
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For more information on the artists, please click on the button.
* indicates a member of Actors Equity Association.
Lindy - Jordan Cobb
15 year old Lindy was born a Melungeon in the Appalachian mountains. She is a free spirit, trained by her father to take care of herself, and has a special connection with snakes. Treading the line between girl and woman at a time of tribulation, she will need all of her skills to survive. Reggie - Russell Jordan* [Articulate Member] Lindy's father has a worldly heritage running through his veins, but he's very aware that many can't see past the color of his skin. He loves his family above, and makes a bold choice to keep them safe. William - Geoffrey Grady Finding a half-wild, snake-handling girl high up on the mountain isn't the only strange thing Williams has seen in his life - but it ranks at the top! As an itinerant preacher and peddler, he moves in many circles, and tries to make Lindy aware of possible dangers. Ramp - James Edward Becton* [Articulate Member] His childhood stolen from him, Ramp's deep anger and fear guide his every move. His discovery of Lindy awakens a new emotion in him, but he is unaware of how to approach her. Hedda - Anna Kelly* A preacher's daughter, Hedda's life was planned out for her - until she fell in love with a man who's skin color changed everything. Educated and sheltered, Hedda believes in the good in people. Narrator - Cynthia Shaw [Articulate Member] Staged readings leave off some of the 'tools' from our toolbox. Great narrators can help fill in those gaps, and Cynthia is wonderful! |
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Crystal Edn, Director
Crystal is a NYC-based actor and director. She had the pleasure of directing Jim Geoghan's NYC-premiere of Hysterical at T.Schreiber Theatre last year. Recently, she was seen onstage in Child's Play (Rising Sun). She’s a member of Articulate, Nylon Fusion, and Rising Sun Performance Company. When she isn’t acting or directing, she’s running around Manhattan convincing New Yorkers to donate blood. www.crystaledn.com 
Morry Campbell (singer/songwriter/sound designer/music producer).
As resident Sound Designer for the TOSOS Theatre Company, he has designed sound and/or composed original music for Damaged Goods, The Mermaid, Christmas Moon, and Byron Loyd’s Rebel Boy Fireworks, among others. He has also written original music for lyrics found in Tom Eyen’s Sarah B. Divine, and Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. For Articulate, he has designed for Listen! The River and On This Mountain. He also collaborated with Articulate AD Cat Parker on Mr. Toole. https://soundcloud.com/perpetrators- undisclosed and morrycampbell.com. Clarissa Marie Ligon
Stage Manager/Lighting Clarissa is a self-proclaimed ‘Renaissance Woman.' She has done it all: from stage managing to designing to her first love, performance art. Clarissa’s ultimate goal is to combine her many talents into something that will allow her to give back while continuing to do what she loves most, sharing herself through her craft. |