Part Two – The Cast
Once the script is written for the Radio Show, it’s time to assemble the StoryTown Players. There’s a core group of approximately 30 community actors who come together throughout the season to perform and record the shows. Some of them have been involved in the Radio Show from its earliest days when it was still known as the Jonesborough Yarn Exchange and performed at the International Storytelling Center. The show began in 2011 and a few of our original cast members can remember that time.
Every year we gain and lose cast members as people leave to pursue other passions, move out of the area, or sadly leave this earthly plane. Even when our cast members leave, their stories remain. We grow the StoryTown family as people move into the area, have more free time to be in a performance, or just want to check out what the Radio Show is all about. We have always had a diverse cast with a mix of ages, acting experience, nationalities, genders, ethnicities, etc. All are welcome in StoryTown. We want to be sure we have a diverse range of voices to help share the diverse range of stories we receive.
As soon as one show is over, our trusty Stage Manager reaches out to the main cast list to see who’d like to be involved in the next month’s performance. As director and head writer, I reach out to the StoryTown Players for story snippets, little tidbits that help enhance the script. April’s show is called “Gardens and Games.” So, I asked them what their favorite game to play is and why. I got back golden nuggets like this.
“I always liked bowling. It’s such a social game, although for me, it was quite unpredictable. (Said with pride): I even had my own brown and beige bowling shoes! In college, I elected to take a class in bowling. My instructor didn’t understand why I never broke 100. As a matter of fact, he admitted that in 20 years of teaching, he never knew a student whose bowling average actually declined by the end of the semester. I probably should have flunked, but I aced the written test, and I showed up for every class with a positive outlook. The moral of the story is that you don’t necessarily have to be good at something to enjoy it.” – Katy Rosolowski
The cast rehearses on the Sunday before the show and arrives early the evening of the show, to greet the guests and make sure everything is ready to go. Rehearsal is required and a necessary part of the process. There are no auditions to become a StoryTown Player. If you are interested, reach out to me at annem@jonesboroughtn.org or call 423.788.8101. New cast members usually start out with smaller roles, but that doesn’t make them any less important. Since StoryTown is an ensemble performance, our players take turns sharing the spotlight.
The best way to experience StoryTown, though, is to start as an audience member. Our next show is April 22 at 7 pm. You’ll see the StoryTown Players share stories from Aunt Willie’s Wildflowers, the Esports Team at ETSU, Tiebreakers, and the local Garden Club. The musical guest is local jazz, chamber musicians Portail du Son, making their StoryTown debut.
Come to the show, check us out, and see if you’d like to become a StoryTown Player yourself.
The StoryTown Radio Show is sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Gary and Sandee Degner, Trivia with Budds, the Silver Raven, the Wild Women of Jonesborough, and Mountain Empire Cremation and Burial Services. The April production is sponsored by Tiebreakers.
– Written by Director Anne Mason