by Howard Richardson & William Berney
Directed by Greg Abbott
Produced by Drama Tech Theatre
November 1988
I played the hillbilly bully Marvin Hudgins in this haunting story of magic and fantasy in the Smokey Mountain. As the tale unfolds, a 'witch boy' (John Howard) tarries in a mountain community, falling in love with a mortal, Barbara Allen (Laura Hewatt). The superstitious townspeople resent their happiness, and their medling ends in violence and tradedy. As staged by Drama Tech, the second act ends especially dramatically with a town-sactioned rape of Barabara Allen in an attempt to purify her. The mob surrounds her as we see Marvin raised high over their heads. As Marvin is lowered onto the sacrificial girl, a single overhead special fade downs too until we only hear the screams of Barbara Allen in the dark.
And that's only the first half.
