A Rash of Stories – A benefit performance to raise funds for the Haywood Street Congregation’s Downtown Table, Next at NC Stage
A Rash of Stories, adapted from Ron Rash’s prize-winning stories, will be presented by Barbara Bates Smith and musical accompanist Jeff Sebens at North Carolina Stage Company in downtown Asheville from July 22nd – July 31st as part of the NC Stage Catalyst Series. The show is a benefit for the Downtown Welcome Table, a program sponsored by the Haywood Street Congregation.
Barbara Bates Smith has adapted varied selections – humorous, tender, and suspenseful – from the following repertoire of Rash’s short stories: Lincolnites, Burning Bright, Casualties and Survivors, and The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth.
Currently based at Western Carolina University, Author Ron Rash has won the Frank O’Connor International Award, two O’Henry prizes, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award for his stories. Two of his novels have been made into films – The World Made Straight and his New York Times bestseller, Serena. Smith’s off-Broadway adaptation and performance of Ivy Rowe from Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies has been touring for 25 years.
Barbara Bates Smith is most well-known for her off-Broadway adaptation and performance of Ivy Rowe from Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies, which has been touring for 25 years. Bates was last seen in 4000 Miles with NC Stage this past fall. Jeff Sebens’ music accompaniment includes hammered dulcimer, lap dulcimer, guitar and banjo. This duo also performs in the touring show Go, Granny D!, celebrating the crusader who, at age 90, walked across the United States seeking election reform.
A Rash of Stories is sponsored by the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management group Greiner, Ezell & Associates and is a benefit for the Downtown Welcome Table, a ministry of Haywood Street Congregation where 600 hot meals are served family-style every week on Wednesdays and Sundays. The Downtown Welcome Table is a crossroads of diversity where the unhoused, business professionals and the working poor get to know one another over a meal. Linen tablecloths and napkins, flowers on every table, and the use of china dishes help counter the notion often held by those living on the streets that “handouts, hand-me-downs and leftovers are all I deserve.”
Haywood Street Congregation is a faith-based nonprofit offering a supportive community to folks struggling with mental illness, addiction, homelessness and other issues. Programs include the Downtown Welcome Table, a community garden, a clothing closet and Haywood Street Respite, where homeless adults may recover on a short-term basis following a hospital stay.
A Rash of Stories
Where: North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville, NC
Dates: July 22nd – July 31st, 2016
Performance: Fridays – Saturdays at 7:30PM, Sundays at 2:00PM
Ticket Prices: $15 – $25
Ticket Prices for Opening Night, July 22nd: $35
Special Events/Discounts:
Opening Night and Pre-Show Reception: All tickets $35 plus complimentary reception and music by Jeff Sebens in the lobby. July 22nd at 7:30PM.
Tickets are available by calling 828-239-0263 or visiting us online at ncstage.org