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Two plays by Romulus Linney
July , 2009 at Tinhorn Creek Winery Amphitheatre Directed by Penelope Johnson Produced by Jennifer Mapplebeck |
Director's Remarks
Romulus Linney's Sand Mountain occupies a special place. With its roots in the earth and its sandy top in the sky, it straddles two worlds: the practical and the mystical, the natural and the supernatural, the time-worn and the timeless. Sand Mountain is a place where down-home wisdom meets magic, where practical necessity gives way to unexpected romance, where folk tales and Bible tales get told all jumbled up together, where the likes of the Lord and St. Peter can turn up anytime as poor wayfarin' strangers and pass the time of day with wise women, Bible thumpers and cornsqueezers.
Sand Mountain Matchmaking:
What's a young widderwoman to do when pestered by three peckerwood suitors? How is she to choose between them? “Cat looks big 'til dog shows up.” advises Vester, a little boy wise beyond his years. In other words, wait for something better to come along. “Possess your soul in patience” until... well, until the dog shows up.
Why the Lord Come to Sand Mountain:
Stories are the “roots of life”, claims the Sang (Ginseng) Picker. Stories have the power to entertain on a cold rainy night. They have the ability to draw us together, to help us find a commonality between us. Stories leap off the page and come alive, working in the present as well as the past. Stories “keep yore body young”, healing old wounds and regrets. They possess a magic that works mysterious changes in us, to change our life, to change the world. “Now, what do you think?”
Romulus Linney's Sand Mountain occupies a special place. With its roots in the earth and its sandy top in the sky, it straddles two worlds: the practical and the mystical, the natural and the supernatural, the time-worn and the timeless. Sand Mountain is a place where down-home wisdom meets magic, where practical necessity gives way to unexpected romance, where folk tales and Bible tales get told all jumbled up together, where the likes of the Lord and St. Peter can turn up anytime as poor wayfarin' strangers and pass the time of day with wise women, Bible thumpers and cornsqueezers.
Sand Mountain Matchmaking:
What's a young widderwoman to do when pestered by three peckerwood suitors? How is she to choose between them? “Cat looks big 'til dog shows up.” advises Vester, a little boy wise beyond his years. In other words, wait for something better to come along. “Possess your soul in patience” until... well, until the dog shows up.
Why the Lord Come to Sand Mountain:
Stories are the “roots of life”, claims the Sang (Ginseng) Picker. Stories have the power to entertain on a cold rainy night. They have the ability to draw us together, to help us find a commonality between us. Stories leap off the page and come alive, working in the present as well as the past. Stories “keep yore body young”, healing old wounds and regrets. They possess a magic that works mysterious changes in us, to change our life, to change the world. “Now, what do you think?”
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Sand Mountain Matchmaking
1870s. The front porch of a newly built cabin in Sand Mountain, Alabama. Home of Rebecca, a young widow and her parents.
Why the Lord Came to Sand Mountain 1890s. A now ramshackle cabin in Sand Mountain. Home of Jack, Jean, and their Fourteen Children.
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Behind the Scenes
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