Theater

it's all about how you tell the story

The Higher Ground Theater project uses oral histories to create a narrative about a specific issue or issues in Harlan County. Music and visual art compliment the narrative told by a group of 40 to 80 actors of all ages, from different regions of the county, and from all walks of life. The Higher Ground group has been fortunate to work with a variety of artists including professional directors, writers, choreographers, set designers, lighting designers, and stage managers.

Higher Ground

The first play, called Higher Ground, followed community members as they struggled with a flood of water and flood of drugs. Visiting artists helped community members gather stories and write songs for this original production. This production can be seen on Kentucky Educational Television's "In Search of Higher Ground."

Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire debuted in 2009 and focused on families coming together in times of trouble. Two sisters struggle to understand each other and keep the family together as one battles drug addiction. Another prominent theme in this play is the stories miners tell, mine accidents, and labor strikes.

Talkin' Dirt

Following the death of his papaw, James struggles with his grief, deciding whether or not to sell the land, and ultimately whether he should move to the city for better work. One of the main themes of Talkin' Dirt is a love of the land. Like many communities across Appalachia, this community waffles between love of the mountains and a desire to preserve their beauty and a desire to stay afloat in a struggling economy. Strip mining is never an easy topic to discuss in Appalachia, but the characters in this play dive right in. James also faces a hoard of gossips spreading tales about every move he makes.

Foglights

Foglights debuted in 2014 and focused on intergenerational relationships, how to deal with loss, and moving forward when you can't see where you're going. A group of young people struggle to find their place in the community while dealing with hoarding, death, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse.
This play was the first show designed to travel throughout Harlan County. The stage, set, lights, sound system, and artwork traveled from site to site.The play started at the Eastern Kentucky Social Club (Lynch) and then traveled to Pine Mountain Settlement School (Bledsoe), the old Evarts High School (Evarts), and the Harlan Elementary School (Harlan).

Find a Way

Unlike the previous productions, Find a Way was written, directed, and choreographed by young leaders with the assistance of artist mentors. The play included five original songs (written by Kenny Colinger and Justin Taylor) directed by Justin Taylor with assistance from Ann Schertz.
Find a Way is the story of a community and family in transition, elders passing the torch to the next the generation, a community trying to find their footing in a struggling economy. Rather than giving the audience a grand message, this play asked the audience to consider What is next? "Who's it gonna hurt to say what's next?"

Life Is Like A Vapor

The community comes together to mourn the loss of Sweet Betty. As her neighbors, friends, and family share stories about her adventures we learn more about who Betty was. How can such a larger than life person be gone so suddenly?
Life Is Like a Vapor focuses on the life of a strong Appalachian woman. Although Betty is eccentric she is also a kind and generous community member who believes that everyone should be treated fairly.

Needlework

Needlework is the first commissioned play produced by Higher Ground. This play is part of the Letcher County Harm Reduction Project, supported by United for Substance Abuse Prevention or USAP.
After losing her beloved daughter Velda, Sweet Betty looks for a solution to the IV drug epidemic facing her community. Using her entrepreneurial spirit she opens a secret needle exchange in her backyard. Trouble appears when some of Betty's friends discover her secret and confront her. Soon the whole community is divided.

Perfect Buckets

Perfect Buckets is the second commissioned play produced by Higher Ground for the Southern Foodways Alliance and the Cockayne Fund to be performed at the SFA conference in Oxford, Mississippi in 2019. The Blackjewel blockade was a national news story in the summer of 2019 and took place less than a mile from Higher Ground’s home theater in Cumberland, KY.

Agnes comes to a potluck to support the miners and finds her macaroni and cheese recipe stolen by her ex-sister-in-law Mildred Metcalf who posts hateful memes on the internet. Agnes realizes her son, who tattooed her recipe on his thigh, had his picture posted on the internet with the full recipe in view. Soon, Agnes realizes that multiple people brought her macaroni and cheese recipe and the whole community is eating together, regardless of what they post on the internet.

Shift Change

Shift Change used story and song to process the events of 2020. The family-friendly play explores Harlan’s African-American history, in particular the Georgetown community, and included a discussion of a Black Lives Matter rally in Harlan in June 2020 and the role of law enforcement in the community. The play also explored the community’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Higher ground theater