Dispatches from Appalachia

An Evening of Original One Acts

Join Shoestring Theatre Company for an evening of true stories torn from the headlines of the award-winning Big Stone Gap Post. Written by retired editor Glenn Gannaway.

First, in Finding Wentz, it becomes national news when Ted Wentz, the heir to a coal mining empire, disappears in 1902 on a routine trip through the rough mountains of Wise County, Virginia. Was he kidnapped? Did he get attacked? Did he simply run off? To this day, there's no clear answer. 

In Tomorrow Might Be Sunday, it's the last day of the Great Appalachian Flood of 1977. Seven strangers are holed up in the Beaux Arts Hotel in downtown Appalachia, waiting until it's safe to get on with their journeys.  Teenager Dorie is worried about the fate of her grandfather who has not been seen for several days. Singers Buddy and Jane try to keep the mood up, while Alberta, who was passing through town, is trying to figure out what happened to her car.  It's a day of memories, dreams and music.