Barter Theatre to Host Author Lee Smith, Songwriter Matraca Berg for WRITERS NIGHT Tonight

Barter Theatre hosts bestselling author Lee Smith and Grammy-nominated songwriter Matraca Berg for "Writers Night: An Evening of Song and Story" tonight, August 19 at 7:30pm on Barter's main stage.

Joining Smith and Berg for a live onstage appearance is writer Jill McCorkle, songwriter Marshall Chapman, and playwright Paul Ferguson.

These five artists collaborated to create "Good Ol' Girls," the musical that is being performed by Barter Theatre artists for a limited run, now through September 7.

Adapted by Paul Ferguson, "Good Ol' Girls" is based on the stories of two acclaimed Southern authors: Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, with songs by Nashville hit-makers Matraca Berg (who has written for Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, Kenny Chesney) and Marshall Chapman (who has written for Jimmy Buffett, Wynonna).

"Writers Night: An Evening of Song and Story" is a special one-night-only event that will be presented like an informal cabaret with the five collaborators singing original songs and telling their stories onstage.

Learn how Matraca Berg, Marshall Chapman, Jill MCorkle and Lee Smith are good ol' girls in their own right and hear what that means to them. They will also talk about how they, along with the collaboration of Paul Ferguson, brought "Good Ol Girls" to the stage. Smith and McCorkle will alternate readings from their novels with the songs of Chapman and Berg.

"The show was Matraca's idea-she wrote a song named 'Good Ol Girls' and thought it might be the basis for a musical. Once we got together with the other girls to talk about the possibilities of a show, it became clear that a lot of our songs and stories have a real resonance," said Smith. Ferguson took all their material and adapted it for the stage.

Any woman can be a good ol' girl, believes McCorkle. Good ol' girls are not just found in the South. "She might live in Durham, North Carolina, or Akron, Ohio, or Denver, Colorado, or, well, anywhere, " says McCorkle. She describes a good ol' girl as "women of all types and ages in all different places coming to terms with some big issues in life."

"Our characters don't shy away from these issues, either, such as love, marriage, pregnancy, work, abuse, faith, family and aging. These are not Southern issues. These are universal," add Smith.

Tickets to "An Evening of Song and Story." Tickets are $30. All proceeds will go to Barter's Annual Fund for Artistic Excellence. Barter recommends both shows for mature teens and adults. Call 276.628.3991 or visit BarterTheatre.com for more information.

Photo by Tom Rankin