Roadside Theater

What would it be like for rural Appalachia to have a professional theater company and a body of original Appalachian drama? That?s what the founders of Roadside Theater asked themselves in 1975. We also wanted to know whether theater that relied on the local and the specific, rendered faithfully and imaginatively, could affect people anywhere. The answer turned out to be yes. Roadside has toured in 43 states, has been in residence a number of times off-Broadway, and has represented the United States at more than half-a-dozen international theater festivals, including in Sweden, London, and the Czech Republic. While Roadside continues to draw the inspiration for both the form and content of its plays from its homeland, the ensemble is also creating collaborative plays with other ensembles with vibrant connections to their particular place, people, and culture. Presently, Roadside is collaborating with theaters in New Orleans, the South Bronx, and Zuni, New Mexico.

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