If, as Shakespeare penned, ﾓall the worldﾒs a stage,ﾔ then five Pocahontas County students are going to play on a larger one shortly as they travel to ﾓPerforming the Worldﾔ in New York City.

The students were part of a community-based summer theatre program sponsored by Parks and Recreation and performed at the Pocahontas County Opera House August 26.

Mac Halterman created a ﾓone man show full of vibrant music, dance and narrationﾔ in his play ﾓSpirit Meadow.ﾔ Dressed as a Seneca Indian, Halterman performed traditional Native American dance, while his narration focused on the importance of heritage and ancestry.

If Jacob Marlin could talk to people today, what would the founder of Marlinton say?

Nicolas Solliday answered that question in ﾓLooking for a friend, finding Marlinton.ﾔ Solliday was costumed as the early settler of the Alleghenies searching for Stephen Sewell, his friend who quarreled with him about religion. Solliday took the historical journey a step farther and stepped into the present briefly to explain what the future held for the area.

If a flood could be funny, then, indeed Lee Ryder and David Irvine bring out the hilarity as they move things up and out of Fas-Chek in 2010 while reminiscing about the ﾓbig oneﾔ in 1985.
In ﾓThe Store,ﾔ Ryder and Irvine remind the audience of The Peopleﾒs Store, which the 1985 flood destroyed, but manage to lighten the devasting event with some dark humor.

ﾓShoes?ﾔ

Lauren Garretson wears them, all right, and no one should insinuate otherwise. This witty young woman tears it up while admitting her frustration in being labled a barefoot West Virginian. Garretson doesnﾒt let perception get her down, though, she pummels her audience with a quick-witted, salty soliloquy until they believe in herﾗand themselves.

With the recomendation of their teacher, Glenda VanReenan, and with the help of VISTA Emily Newton, who studied communty-based theatre at Dell Arteﾒ International School of Physical Ensemble Theatre and has since developed community-based productions all over the country.

ﾓI was proud of all of them in different ways because their pieces were all different, but they all achieved the goal to create a piece of theatre that celebrates their home,ﾔ Newton said.

Through Newtonﾒs proposal, the students were awarded conference fees, hotel accomodations and some travel funds.

Audience donations the night of the performance will also be used for travel. Donations can be made to the troop through Parks and Recreation.