Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 6.02 Literature
Presentation #1 Title
Dramatic Representations of Change in Eastern Kentucky: Foglights and Long Time Travelling
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
I am proposing a paper about two contemporary Appalachian plays. ASA 2015 Paper Proposal Abstract Dr. Anita J. Turpin, Roanoke College Dramatic Representations of Change in Eastern Kentucky: Foglights and Long Time Travelling As a literary genre, drama offers a compelling way to explore human lives and social issues. Two recent plays set in eastern Kentucky, Foglights, the fourth play in the Higher Ground series of Harlan County and Silas House’s Long Time Travelling, provide a rich ground for looking at ways change is happening in eastern Kentucky and the impact of that change on the good folks who live there. My paper compares the unpublished scripts (generously provided by Robert Gipes and Silas House) of the two plays, looking specifically at how the region and its people are responding to contemporary social and economic changes. Both plays, in fact, can be deemed examples of a resurgent social theatre, which is increasingly providing a powerful public voice for underrepresented communities of the nation and the world. I have been reading and writing about Appalachian theatre for years now and my excitement about the field grows with each new play that joins an already thriving body of artistic work about the place and the people of Appalachia. I hope to be able to share my excitement about these two plays in particular at the 2015 ASA Conference.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Anita J. Turpin was born and raised in Wayne County in eastern Kentucky. A professor of English and Communication Studies at Roanoke College, her scholarship focuses on Appalachian Theatre.
Dramatic Representations of Change in Eastern Kentucky: Foglights and Long Time Travelling
I am proposing a paper about two contemporary Appalachian plays. ASA 2015 Paper Proposal Abstract Dr. Anita J. Turpin, Roanoke College Dramatic Representations of Change in Eastern Kentucky: Foglights and Long Time Travelling As a literary genre, drama offers a compelling way to explore human lives and social issues. Two recent plays set in eastern Kentucky, Foglights, the fourth play in the Higher Ground series of Harlan County and Silas House’s Long Time Travelling, provide a rich ground for looking at ways change is happening in eastern Kentucky and the impact of that change on the good folks who live there. My paper compares the unpublished scripts (generously provided by Robert Gipes and Silas House) of the two plays, looking specifically at how the region and its people are responding to contemporary social and economic changes. Both plays, in fact, can be deemed examples of a resurgent social theatre, which is increasingly providing a powerful public voice for underrepresented communities of the nation and the world. I have been reading and writing about Appalachian theatre for years now and my excitement about the field grows with each new play that joins an already thriving body of artistic work about the place and the people of Appalachia. I hope to be able to share my excitement about these two plays in particular at the 2015 ASA Conference.
