Dramas and Tales by R. Rex Stephenson Compiled by Appalachian Dramas & Tales Other Published Plays Articles More Links Bibliography of Appalachian Folktales in Film, Drama and Storytelling Recordings NEWS: R. Rex Stephenson Receives 2007 SETC Child Drama Award !
Appalachian Dramas and Tales
NEW In summer 2007: new story theatre adaptation of "Catskins" with The Jack Tale Players
Charity for All. Available for loan to schools and nonprofit organizations from Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Resource Service. (VF79-18). VFH Catalog: "Surveying the dislocated world of post-Civil War Franklin County, Virginia, this drama, created by faculty and students at Ferrum College, focuses on the complex and volatile social relations with which a Union Army officer, who represents the Freedmen's Bureau, must contend. 60m; 1/2", 3/4"; $3." Videocassette by WBRA-TV, Roanoke, VA, 1980.
Faith of our Fathers: A Historical Dramatization of the Founding of Franklin County, 1986. 2 videocassettes (VHS, 135 mins.) Notes from WorldCat: Recorded live on September 25, 1986. Covers the period 1611-1786 in Franklin County history. "Though in the main true to the facts of history, the author has in some instances had to use his imagination in telling the story of Faith of Our Fathers." Presented by the Bicentennial Commission, Franklin County, VA.
Folklore to Theatre. 1 sound cassette from American Theatre Association Convention, New York, NY, August 1982. Abstract: Speakers discuss Ferrum College's project to dramatize traditional Appalachian mountain folklore. Participants: R. Rex Stephenson, chair; Roy Talbert and Lowell Swortzell, panelists.
Grandmother Tales: Mutsmag and Ashpet, Traditional Tales from the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This play that includes the tales Ashpet (1998) and Mutsmag (2000) was performed in Dec. 2003 at Radford University's Pridemore Playhouse (photo of "Ashpet" at left). Short review in Radford's The Tartan. Radford PR page with rehearsal photo. Published as Grandmother Tales: Mutsmag and Ashpet, Traditional Tales from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlottesville, VA: New Plays for Children, 2004. With Background on the Tales and Questions for Discussion by Tina Hanlon. See also "Mutsmag," below.
"Jack and his Lump of Silver." ALCA-Lines: Journal of the Assembly on the Literature and Culture of Appalachia, Vol. VI (Fall 1999): 6-7. A retelling of the tale from Franklin County, VA, as told to Stephenson by Raymond Sloan in the 1980s. (Previously published in Blue Ridge Traditions.) Full text in AppLit.
"Jack and the Hainted House" in Nellie McCaslin’s Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond (editions 4–8). 8th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005, p. 173. In story form with guidelines for dramatization.
"Jack and the Hainted House," in story form with introductory article by Joe Kennedy. Roanoke Times & World-News 31 Oct. 1992: Extra 1.
"Jack and the King's Girl." ALCA-Lines: Journal of the Assembly on the Literature and Culture of Appalachia, vol. IX (2001): 14-15. Tale collected in 1979 from a patient in a VA hospital in Louisville, KY. Also published with guidelines for dramatizing with children, in Nellie McCaslin’s Creative Drama in the Classroom, 5th ed. (New York: Longman, 1990). Also printed in Stephenson's 1994 "Teacher's Guide." Full text in AppLit with suggestions for using the story as dramatic play.
"The Jack Tale Players Presents The Jack Tales: Teacher's Guide for Use in Conjunction with the Performance of Jack Tales." Hurt, VA: Artistic, 1994. N. pag. Parts of this guide are reprinted in AppLit at Activities to Accompany Study of Dramatizations by the Jack Tale Players, The Script as Story Theatre, and Jack and the King's Girl. Revised as A Study Guide For The Jack Tales : Dramatizing Traditional Folklore Of The Blue Ridge Mountains. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2003.
The Jack Tales: Folk Stories from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Schulenburg, TX: I. E. Clark, 1991. Dramatic adaptations as performed by Ferrum College Jack Tale Players. Contains "Jack Fear-No-Man," "Wicked John and the Devil," "Jack and the Robbers," "Foolish Jack," "Jack and the Witch’s Tale," and "Jack and 01' Greasy Beard." See description at http://www.ieclark.com.
"The Jack Tales," in Eight Plays for Youth: Varied Theatrical Experiences for Stage and Study. Ed. Christian H. Moe and R. Eugene Jackson. American University Studies Series XXVI: Theatre Arts. Vol. 8. New York: Peter Lang, 1991. Stephenson's script includes three tales with background on the playwright, Jack Tales and story theatre: "Jack and the Robbers," "Jack and the Three Giants," and "Greasy-Beard."
Jack Tales Too! Stories from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Adapted by R. Rex Stephenson. Salt Lake City, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2004. "Jack's Mother's Second Marriage," "Foolish Jack," "Jack and the Mean Old Man," "Soldier Jack." Click on thumbnail at right for performance photo.
Jack's Adventures with the King's Girl. Orem, UT: Encore, 1999. Dramatic adaptation combining "Hardy Hard Head" and "The Hainted House." IUPUI National Youth Theatre Playwrighting Competition award for "Excellence in Playwrighting" for this script in 1996.
A Movement to Lead. Videocassette (VHS, 60 min.) produced at Ferrum College, 1993. Notes from WorldCat: "The meeting with Wilson depicted in the play is based on an actual meeting between Wilson and Monroe Trotter, Du Bois's close friend. Many of the speeches and all of the ideas are drawn directly from Washington's and Du Bois's writings and speeches. ...'A Movement to Lead' is a project that examines Booker T. Washington's and W.E.B. Du Bois's ideas regarding race relations. The project has several parts: this guide, a photograph and artifact display, and a dramatic enactment of an imagined meeting between the two men. The goal of the project is to stimulate discussion about race relations in the twentieth century and to increase understanding about this important issue." Participants in post-play discussion: Lewis Rogers (Chief Ranger at Booker T. Washington National Monument), Rex Stephenson (Playwright and Drama Professor), Michael Trochim (Project Historian and History Professor), and Jody Brown (Moderator and Fine Arts and Religion Chair at Ferrum College).
Mutsmag. Published in AppLit, 2002. Online picture book adaptation of the script, with illustrations by children in grades K-3 (Franklin County, VA), who saw the Jack Tale Players perform "Mutsmag" in spring 2000. See also Grandmother Tales, above.
"Mutsmag." In Crosscurrents of Children's Literature: An Anthology of Texts and Criticism. Ed. J. D. Stahl, Tina L. Hanlon, and Elizabeth Lennox Keyser. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2006. 401-09. The script of "Mutsmag" appears in Part 3, Oral and Written Literary Traditions, with a reprint of "Munsmeg," the oral tale collected by Richard Chase from the James Taylor Adams Collection. See the Crosscurrents companion web site for more on Appalachian selections and oral traditions in this anthology.
My Travels with Cecil. Orem, UT: Encore, 2002. A play with music about British ballad collector Cecil Sharp's visit to Franklin County, VA in 1918.
Roar of the Silence. A play about race relations in Franklin County, VA. Videocassette by WBRA-TV, Roanoke, VA, 1981 (58 min., 20 sec.).
The Three Old Women's Bet. Schulenburg, TX: I. E. Clark, 2002.Too Free for Me. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 1998. Award-winning play based on local history about a white woman who helped a former slave fight a court battle to prove she was free. Available for loan to schools and nonprofit organizations from Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Resource Service (VF78-77). VFH Catalog: "Developed by faculty and students at Ferrum College, this program brings to life the trial of a black, female, Franklin County resident who, in 1851, brought charges of assault against a local landowner who had refused to acknowledge her free status and right to marry. 60m." Videocassette by WBRA-TV, Roanoke, VA, 1979. (Review by Lana A. Whited. Discussion of play and background on main character Indiana Choice at Betty Choyce web site.)
NEW: "Two Lost Babes." This is a new folktale adaptation performed in the Jack Tale Players' summer tour, 2006. Study guide by Thomas Townsend at this link. For background and links to related tales, see also The Babes in the Woods and The Two Lost Babes and Hansel and Gretel.
White Column Mansions: Three Original Plays Based in Local History and Folklore: A Process for Developing Local American Historical Materials into Theatrical Productions. Ph. D. Dissertation. New York University, 1983. University Microfilms International, 1986.
Wicca. Published in online journal Nantahala: A Review of Writing and Photography in Appalachia. Issue 1:01. Nov. 2001. A drama about love and jealousy, revenge and witchcraft in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Rex Stephenson consults with Richard Chase in the late 1970s
Other Published Plays by R. Rex Stephenson
The Adventures of Huck Finn, with music by Jon Cohn and C. Michael Perry. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2002. Based on the novel by Mark Twain.
Alice in Wonderland, with music by Jon Cohn. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 1997. Based on the novel by Lewis Carroll.
And the Rains Came. . . and Came, with music by Gary Evans. A musical in two acts based on the Noah story. Charlottesville, VA: New Plays for Children, 2000. With Resource Guide by R. Rex Stephenson and Nellie McCaslin.A Christmas Carol. Adapted from Charles Dickens. Schulenburg, TX: I. E. Clark, 2000.
Daniel! The Musical Based on the Bible Story. Book and Lyrics by R. Rex Stephenson. Music and Lyrics by C. Michael Perry. South Jordan, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2005.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Venice, FL: Eldridge, 2000. Based on the novel by Mark Twain. (Eldridge Author Info on Stephenson). Click here for photo of original production at Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre.
Galileo: Man of Science, with co-author Mike Trochim. Charlottesville, VA: New Plays for Children, 1996.
Glorious Son of York: A Play for Two or More People about King Richard III. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2000.
Just So Stories—the Musical. Adapted by R. Rex Stephenson and Emily Rose Tucker. Venice, FL: Eldridge, 2006.
Kipling's Just So Stories. Adapted by R. Rex Stephenson. Venice, FL: Eldridge, 2006.
The Liberated Cinderella, or, The Return of the Godfather, a One-act Comedy. Schulenburg, TX: I. E. Clark 1974. See description at http://www.ieclark.com.
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Salt Lake City, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2004. An adaptation based primarily on Twain's Tom Sawyer, Detective, combined with material from Life on the Mississippi and Tom Sawyer Abroad. "The play celebrates the adventurous spirits of young men as they take on new challenges, conquer great barriers, and at the end, are the same two mischievous boys that are icons of American literature" (Stephenson, "Thoughts on the Play").
The Prince and the Pauper: Based on the Mark Twain Classic. Orem, UT: Encore Performance Publishing, 2002.
Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Charlottesville, VA: New Plays for Children, 1998. With Study Guide by R. Rex Stephenson and Tina L. Hanlon. Click for photo.
Treasure Island. Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson. Schulenburg, TX: I. E. Clark, 1995. Press release on Dec. 2001 production at Ferrum College, with photo from 1994 production. See also description at http://www.ieclark.com. Press release "Old Michie Theatre to Present Stephenson’s Treasure Island" (Jan. 2005).The Vision: A Play about John Wesley and the Founding of Kingswood School, with co-author Mike Trochim. Nashville, TN: General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Division of Higher Education, 1998.
Rex Stephenson (left) performs with the Jack Tale Players
in Woodstock Georgia, May 2002Articles
Brown, Jody and R. Rex Stephenson. "The Folk Tales of the Eastern Blue Ridge." Blue Ridge Parkway: Agent of Transition. Eds. Barry Buxton and Steven M. Beatty. Boone, NC: Appalachian Consortium Press, 1986. 167-72.
"Drama Classes Offered at Jonesborough Repertory Theatre." A! Magazine for the Arts, vol. 14, no. 1 (Jan. 2007). Arts Alliance Mountain Empire. Includes account of Jonesborough Repertory Theater winning award of excellence for production of Stephenson's Jack Tales, with photo of cast and director.
"Folklore Comes to Layton Elementary." The Fairfax Times [VA] 12 Nov. 1998: A1, 3. Article on Jack Tale Players with photos.Green, Linda. "Play Shows United Methodists' 250 Year Involvement...". 19 Jun 1998. Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org. Article on 1998 premier of The Vision, Nashville, TN.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Chinese Students Learn Jack Tales." In The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA], 19 June 2006, with headline "China Students Learn about Jack Tales." Full text in AppLit at this link. Article on Jack Tale Player Thomas Townsend teaching Stephenson's Jack Tale adaptations to students in China.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Digging Deeper in the Oral Tradition: Faculty/Student Research on Appalachian Folktales." Presentation based on research by Tina Hanlon, N. Michelle Vincent, and Rex Stephenson at Appalachian Studies Association Conference, Dayton, Ohio, Mar. 18, 2006.
Hanlon, Tina L. "From Fool of the World to Regional Trickster: Adaptations of European-American Folktales in Appalachia." Paper presented at Congress of the International Research Society for Children's Literature, Trinity College, Dublin, Aug. 14, 2005.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Jack Tales." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Vol. 1. Ed. Jack Zipes. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Hanlon, Tina L. "The Jack Tales in Appalachia." "On Writers and Writing": Papers Presented at the Virginia Humanities Conference, March 28-30, 1996. Charlottesville: U of VA, 1996.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Old and New Stories from Appalachia." The Five Owls No. 3, 2003, issue on The New South. Reprinted in The Five Owls web site.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Oral Traditions and Modern Adaptations: Survey of Appalachian Folktales in Children's Literature." Paper presented at Appalachian Studies Association Conference, Knoxville, TN, March 26, 2000, revised in AppLit 2004.
Hanlon, Tina L. "Strong Women in Appalachian Folktale Dramatizations by R. Rex Stephenson," 2001-2002. Full text in AppLit
Hanlon, Tina L. “Strong Women in Appalachian Folktales.” The Lion & the Unicorn, vol. 24 (April 2000): 225-46. Full text available through library services such as Project Muse.
Hanlon, Tina L. and R. Rex Stephenson. "Adapting Folktales for the Stage: Collaboration Between the Literary Critic and the Playwright." Papers presented at the Fourth Biennial Conference on Modern Critical Approaches to Children's Literature, Nashville, April 7, 2001.Hanlon, Tina L. and Lana Whited. "Ferrum Performers Keep Jack Tales Alive." ALCA-Lines: Journal of the Assembly on the Literature and Culture of Appalachia, vol. V (1997): pp. 20–23. Full text in AppLit.
Hanlon, Tina L. and N. Michelle Vincent. "Studying the Oral Tradition with Folktales in the James Taylor Adams Collection." Presentation at Appalachian College Association Summit, Abingdon, VA, Oct. 27, 2005.
Hudson, Mike. "Replay." The Roanoke Times 13 July 2004: Extra 1, 6. Article with four photos on new production of Too Free for Me.
"Jack Tales Plan Anniversary Performance for December." Ferrum Magazine Spring 2005, p. 36.
"JRT Presents The Jack Tales." Historic Jonesborough. Article about performances of Stephenson's The Jack Tales by the Jonesborough [TN] Repertory Theater, during the National Storytelling Festival. Sept.-Oct. 2006.
"JRT to Present 'The Jack Tales.'" Johnson City [TN] Press 21 Sept. 2006. Article with rehearsal photo. Same information as article above. See also The Jack Tales, web page about 2006-2007 productions in Jonesborough Repertory Theatre web site.
"Junior Playhouse Presents 'The Jack Tales.'" Oak Ridge Observer [Oak Ridge, TN] 6 Oct. 2005: p. 9. Notice of performances of Stephenson's The Jack Tales at the Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse.
Kittredge, Kevin. "Jefferson Davis: The Man who would be The King." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. 16 June 2006: Extra. "In Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre's 'Jeff!,' the Confederate icon comes back as Elvis. It's one of two unusual works the theater is producing this summer." Article with photos and audio from Jeff!. Review of Stephenson's play about Jefferson Davis and preview of his new play, Jonah and the Big Fish.
Kittredge, Kevin. "Wickedly Good." The Roanoke Times 16 July 2003: Extra 1, 3. Article with photos on Stephenson's new Biblical play, Daniel, with performances by visiting New York actresses Nellie McCaslin and Vera Mowry Roberts.
McBride, Michael. "Profile." The Star Press [Muncie, IN] Aug. 18, 2006. Newspaper interview with photo. Discusses influences from Stephenson's Indiana hometown and De Soto High School, his beginnings in drama at Ball State University, his teaching at Redkey High School, and his writing of plays.
McCaslin, Nellie. "The Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre: A Recipe for Success." Stage of The Art. Winter 2002: pp. 16-17. Full text at this link. Photo of Nellie McCaslin as Noah's mother in And The Rains Came at right.
McGowan, Thomas. "Beech Mountain Jack Tale." The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. Ed. Donald Haase. Vol. 1. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Dramatic adaptations at Ferrum College are mentioned in this encyclopedia entry.
"Playhouse Presents 'The Jack Tales.'" Oak Ridge Observer [Oak Ridge, TN] 20 Oct. 2005: p. 12. Article with photo about young cast performing Stephenson's The Jack Tales at the Oak Ridge Junior Playhouse. The tales performed were "Jack Fear-No-Man," "Foolish Jack," "Jack and the Robbers," and "Jack and 'Ol Greasy Beard."
"Plays Selected to be Published." The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA] 21 June 2002: A 1, 8.
Renner, Craig J. "America's Jack: The Trickster Hero of Our Shy Tradition." The World & I: The Magazine for Lifelong Learning. Sept. 1998: 224-31. Contains brief history of Jack tales in Europe and America, citing mainly Lindahl and Perdue. Includes two pictures of Stephenson's Jack Tale Players. Full text available from Academic Index Expanded ASAP.
"Stephen Gordon Produces Video on Appalachian Oral Tradition for 2005 National History Day Project." Three articles reprinted in AppLit. Stephenson was one of the experts interviewed by Gordon for his award-winning video "Telling Tales: The Appalachian Oral Tradition."
Stephenson, Morris. "Jack Tale Players." The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA]. 24 Dec., 2001: A1, B5–7. Discusses 25-year history of the Jack Tale Players with a number of photos.
Stephenson, R. Rex. "Aurand, the Mentor." Aurand Harris Remembered: A Monograph Celebrating America's Giant Playwright for Little People. Ed. Olin Corey. Louisville, KY: Anchorage Press, 1999. pp. 29-30. The article describes a visit to Ferrum by Aurand Harris (1915-96), late in his life, when he helped Stephenson with the scripts for Galileo and "Hardy Hard Head." They made plans for Harris to return and direct his play The Orphan Train in Ferrum, but he did not live long enough to return; Stephenson directed the play in Fall 1999 at Ferrum College.
Stephenson, R. Rex. " The Jack Tales of the Southern Appalachian Area." Ferrum Review, Spring 1976.
Stephenson, R. Rex. "Mark Twain." Children's Theatre Educational Resource Guide. Little Rock: Arkansas Arts Center, 2002-2003. p. 19. Available as pdf file 4/3/04.
Stephenson, R. Rex. "A Way to Begin: The Narrative Story Expansion." Virginia English Bulletin, Spring 1992.
Stephenson, R. Rex. "Why Do I Do It." Geriatric Nursing, Winter 1987.Stephenson, R. Rex, and John Hodgson. "Feedback and Follow Up." Virginia English Bulletin, Spring 1995.
"Stephenson Publishes Three Plays." The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA] 6 Dec. 2000: A 1, 8.
Stone, Nancy. "'Jack Tales:' Nervous Ferrum Actors Face Folklore Collector." Martinsville Bulletin [VA] 13 Oct. 1976: 1, 8. Article on Richard Chase's visit to Ferrum, with two photos.
Vincent, N. Michelle. "Father and 14-Year-Old Son Interview Professors for National History Day Project." Originally published in The Iron Blade, Ferrum College, VA, 21 Feb. 2005. Article on award-winning video by Stephen Gordon discusses Stephenson as consultant who appears in the video
Wentworth, Anna. "Blue Ridge Dinner Theater Opens Season." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. June 2001. Article and interview with director Stephenson.
Wentworth, Anna. "Casting, Direction Make The Nerd a Hoot." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. June 9, 2000. Review of Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre production directed by Stephenson.
Wentworth, Anna. "Creative Drama: Weekend Spent at Mountain Lodge Full of Improvisation and Awareness." Southern Theatre: Quarterly Magazine of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. (date?) 26-29.
Wentworth, Anna. "The Foreigner at Home at Ferrum." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. June 8, 1999. Review of play by Larry Shue directed by Stephenson at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre.
Wentworth, Anna. "Old-Fashioned Play Makes Sweet Fantasy." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. June 2001. Review of The Enchanted Cottage, directed by Stephenson at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre.
Wentworth, Anna. "Rarely Done Noel Coward Play Opens at Ferrum." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. June 13, 2002. Review of Waiting in the Wings, and interview with director Stephenson, with three photos of at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre production.
Wentworth, Anna. "Shakespeare Got it Wrong on Richard III, or so He Says." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. 1998 archives. Review of Glorious Son of York, with "How a Rose Led to a Play," background from playwright Stephenson.
Wentworth, Anna. "This Show Rewards a Drive to Ferrum." The Roanoke Times and Roanoke.com. 1997 archives. Review of Twelve Angry Virginians, directed by Stephenson at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre.
Whited, Lana A. "BRDT Stages Visit of Famous Musician." The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA] 22 May 2002: A 4. Article on development of the 2002 play My Travels with Cecil.
Whited, Lana A. "Jack Tale Players to Honor Children's Theater Pioneer McCaslin." The Iron Blade [Ferrum College, VA] 20 Feb. 2006: 1, 2.
Whited, Lana A. "Too Free for Me Concludes BRDT Anniversary Season." The Franklin News-Post [Rocky Mount, VA] July 2004. Review of revival of play based on Franklin County history. Full text reprinted in AppLit.
More Links
The Jack Tale Players Web Site
Study Guides for Jack Tales Dramas
Photos of performances of Jack Tales, "Mutsmag," "Ashpet," and "The Three Old Women's Bet"
(Photos at top of this page, by Ken McCreedy, are from "Mutsmag.")Article on The Jack Tale Players
Article on Strong Women in Appalachian Folktale Dramatizations by R. Rex Stephenson
Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre Web Site
R. Rex Stephenson Honored at Start of 25th BRDT Season. Ferrum College press release with photos.
Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc. Scholarships and Awards. Sara Spencer Child Drama Award, 2007
Author Information at Eldridge Plays Web Site
BRDT Revives First Play for 25th Season. Press Release on Too Free for Me, July, 2004.
Grandmother Tales performed in Dec. 2003 at Radford University's Pridemore Playhouse. Short review in Radford's The Tartan. Radford PR page with rehearsal photo.
Jack Tale Players Benefit Performance March 1. Press release and Iron Blade article and Pictures from performance.
Jack Tales Comes to Life on Stage at LMST. Notes and photo of June 2004 performance. Lees-McCrae College, Banner Elk, NC. (link not functioning 1/14/07)
Tradition Will Never Die. One-man show on Richard Chase, written and performed by Ferrum College drama senior Tony Pica. Includes a retelling of "Jack and the Robbers." Feb. 2003. Directed by Stephenson, who played the off-stage character of Marshall Ward introducing Chase to the Jack Tales.
Ferrum College Press Release Index:
Includes photos of The World is My Parish, The Odd Couple, Waiting in the Wings, Treasure Island, other theatre news.
Ferrum Alum to Premiere New Stephenson Play on Peninsula (Apr. 18, 2004)
BRDT Revives First Play for 25th Anniversary - Too Free for Me (July 6, 2004)
Old Michie Theatre to Present Stephenson’s Treasure Island (Jan. 2005)
30th Anniversary of Jack Tales to be Celebrated Dec. 9th (2005)
Jack Tale Players Perform Tribute to Nellie McCaslin (photos Mar. 1, 2006)
Odd Couple to Open BRDT Season (2006)
R. Rex Stephenson Receives 2007 SETC Child Drama Award (March 2007)The 1998 "Anna" Awards include The World is My Parish as one of the year's best plays in the region. This page also contains a "very special recognition" to "Dr. R. Rex Stephenson for best use of history in original drama, comedy and musical productions." Upstaged! with Anna Wentworth. Roanoke.com.
The 1999 "Anna" Award Nominees include Glorious Son of York by Stephenson and We Band of Brothers by Stephenson and Mike Trochim as two of the year's best plays in the region. Also Cliff Todd in We Band of Brothers and Jon Cohn in Twelve Angry Virginians are named among the year's best actors. Upstaged! with Anna Wentworth. Roanoke.com.
Feminist Fairy Tales by Nancy J. Keane lists The Liberated Godfather and "Mutsmag." 1999-2001.
Ohio River Festival of Books, Huntington, WV, May 1, 2004. Featured Authors pages.
Story-Lovers SOS: Searching Out Stories. Pages on Jack Tales and Silversmith/Silver Stories list "Jack and his Lump of Silver." 2004.
Swortzell, Lowell. Cinderella: The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale. Charlottesville, VA: New Plays Inc., 1992. The play, combining 4 Cinderella tales from different cultures, was first directed in its present form by Rex Stephenson at Ferrum College, 1991. The Multicultural Study Guide by Nancy Swortzell contains drama workshops conducted by Rex Stephenson with groups of third to fifth grade students.
The Story Tellers: Documentaries/Dramatic Presentations/Movies/Videos. The Orphan Train Collection. Notice of first performance of Aurand Harris's Orphan Train, directed by Rex Stephenson in Nov. 1999 at Ferrum College.
This page created May 2000. Last update: 05/13/2008
Links checked 6/07/02
Appalachian Folktales in Film, Drama, and Storytelling Recordings
Complete List of AppLit Pages on Folklore
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