Theater

Theater At Lime Kiln Brings New Work to Life Under the Stars

Theater at Lime Kiln in Lexington, VA, presets original dramas and eclectic concerts in its natural setting of a nineteenth century lime kiln and quarry.

With stone ruins as a stage and a star-studded sky for a roof, Theater at Lime Kiln has been called "one of the most agreeable spots in the western world."

Founded in 1983, Lime Kiln presents professional works of theater that celebrate the history and culture of the Appalachian Mountains. Over the past 13 years, Lime Kiln has brought more than 20 new works to the stage. The theater’s reputation for developing original work earned them a five year grant in 1993 from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund. In additional to new educational and community outreach programs, the grant has allowed Lime Kiln to create a new national playwriting contest.

The Theater at Lime Kiln Regional Playwriting Contest was developed to encourage writers to create works which reflect the concerns, heritage and culture of the Appalachian regions of Western Virginia, Western North Carolina, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Tennessee. Winning scripts are eligible not only for cash prizes but also for staged readings and a possibility of their world premiere production at Theater at Lime Kiln.

The Theater at Lime Kiln Regional Playwriting Contest and readings of the winning works also serve as community outreach projects for Theater at Lime Kiln. The scripts submitted to the contest are judged by a group of community volunteers and theater professionals,and the staged readings are performed by community members, amateur actors and Lime Kiln staff. These projects are designed to bring the community closer to its theater by involving people and giving them a personal stake in their theater. After each of the informal readings, the audience is invited to discuss and critique the play. These "talk-backs" help Lime Kiln’s artistic staff evaluate the kind of theater that the community is interested in and provide an invaluable tool in planning future productions.

The winner of the First Annual Playing Contest, Janice Kennedy’s The Last Hanging in Pike County, was given its world premiere production last summer at Theater at Lime Kiln. Last Hanging brought audiences from all over Virginia and West Virginia to see the famous Hatfield and McCoy feud as rendered by an actual descendant of the Hatfield clan. The first place prize of the Second Annual Theater at Lime Kiln Regional Playwriting Contest went to John J. Wooten for his play, Breach of Honor, which actually was entered into the contest under the working title of Saving Stonewall. This new work, an intense, psychological thriller set in the days following the death of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, will receive its world premiere performance this summer at Theater at Lime Kiln.

Breach of Honor revolves around a young Confederate soldier who accidentally delivers the fatal shot to Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville. A Colonel uses his influence to force a neighboring family to care for the young man, just as they are tending to his son. Tensions mount between the young soldier and the Colonel’s son as the soldier tries to reconcile his sense of honor with the deceptions and dishonor surrounding him. This tight, tense psychological thriller explodes as the characters struggle with the horrors of the war and their own human natures.

John J. Wooten’s New York playwriting credits include Dover Won’t Get Out, and The Limbo Room for Life Repertory Company; Friends Till The End which won the 1992 Village Gate One-Act Festival; and the Off-Broadway debut of his family drama, Trophies. John is currently the artistic director of TheatreFest, the professional Equity company in residence at Montclair State University. He was just awarded a playwriting fellowship by New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State.

Breach of Honor will be presented June 5-28, Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. For ticket information, call Theater At Lime Kiln, (540) 463-7088.