“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.” Says Minister of Sorrow playwright, Pamela Kingsley.
Minister of Sorrow, showing May 17-19, 2024 at Parkway Playhouse, was the winner of the theater’s 2023 Appalachian Playwriting Festival and shares the moving story of Emma, a pack saddle librarian in the 1930s who travels across Appalachia to deliver books to patrons. An annual event hosted by The Playhouse, The Appalachian Playwriting Festival is a celebration of Appalachian Culture and is the preservation of the stories, people, and traditions that make our community so wonderful. The Festival’s mission states that this event is an opportunity for Parkway Playhouse to give back by offering a microphone to those voices telling the stories of our home and heart. Minister of Sorrow was chosen as one of three finalists by a committee of readers. It was then produced as a staged reading along with two other plays, and was voted by a panel of judges as the winner of the 2023 festival.
Minister of Sorrow will feature longtime Burnsville community member, Alesa Bryant as Emma. She will be accompanied by musician Marty Lewis, playing a variety of instruments, adding a homespun bluegrass flavor to this touching story directed by Noah Stout.
When asked what inspired Kingsley to write this play she said, “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.”
Many Burnsville residents will recognize a similar story in the life of Dorothy Thomas; the first professionally trained librarian who served Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties beginning in 1948. Dorothy would later go on to create the AMY Regional Library System which is still a pillar of our communities today and provides valuable resources for all three counties. The award-winning book, Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile written by Gloria Houston and illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb tells her story.
Tickets are available now for Minister of Sorrow online at www.parkwayplayhouse.com. Parkway Playhouse is a professional theater company located at 202 Green Mountain Drive, Burnsville, North Carolina 28714. The oldest continually operating Summer theater in North Carolina, they are celebrating their 77th season this year. Parkway Playhouse offers something for everyone including shows, classes, community events, and more! To find out more about Parkway Playhouse, please visit their website listed above, or check out their Facebook or Instagram pages.
