JONESBOROUGH REPERTORY THEATRE

Ann and I went to Jonesborough the other day to see Toward the Setting Sun by the Jonesborough Repertory Theater.

I had to wonder, as we got into the production, who was coming to the play. After all, maybe it only just seemed like the entire population of the town was in the cast.

Goodness! If I just gave the credits in this column to the members of the cast, that would take up all the space. Young and old and all ages in between.

But, nevertheless, there was a packed audience for the night we were there. Maybe they, like us, were from out of town.

Jon Ruetz put together this production. He wrote it. He produced it. He directed it. It is obviously his baby. What it does is put together historical stories of the beginnings of Tennessee, particularly as they related to Jonesborough.

Now, of course, Jonesborough is known nationally for its storytelling. And this production came about because Bob Browning, town administrator, thought there should be some stories about history and culture.

And that's what Jon and this cast came up with.

You've got scenes with Daniel Boone, William Bean, and Andrew Jackson, who began his practice of law in Jonesborough; with John Sevier and John Tipton and their falling out over the State of Franklin; with the Overmountain Men and their part in defeating the British at King's Mountain; with some of the legends from the town.

And there's a good blend of songs to provide appropriate music.

I particularly liked the gathering of the choir, some 60 voices, in the final scenes. They sing good, and Don Squibb had an outstanding solo part.

The costuming for this production must have been challenging, since most of the cast were attired in dress from the era depicted. Not a lot of that stuff around anymore.

It required a lot of historical research for Jon and the end result is excellent.

Now, the play concluded last week in its scheduled 12-day run.

But the real beauty of Toward the Setting Sun is that it provides the town with something to put together from time to time to really emphasize the impact on history that this area had.

I can see, for instance, that if you staged this for the few nights before the annual Storytelling Festival opens in the fall, you could attract a lot of visitors who have come from around the country for the festival.

Certainly, that would put the best foot forward for the town and for the area.

On a reduced scale, it could also be taken into some of our schools to stress our historical heritage.

No question but what Jon Ruetz has served the town and the area well with Toward the Setting Sun.

Article courtesy of johnsoncitypress.com