World Premiere of THE GNOME Begins Tonight at Barter's Stage II

Isaac Rathbone's, "The Gnome," winner of Barter's 2014 Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, will premiere on Barter's Stage II tonight, March 13.

"The Gnome" is a modern-day fairy tale about a down-on-his-luck All-Mart employee named Barry who finds a magical, wish-granting gnome poking out of the snow in early March. Barry is a divorcee living with his brother and his sister-in-law. This tale of family, wishes, greed and magic begins, but where will he wind up after the gnome starts granting wishes?

Eugene Wolf, the director of "The Gnome," said, "We make choices that seem inconsequential, yet end up totally changing the path we thought was right. Sometimes we need a little help from a friend, or help from a little friend." In "The Gnome," Barry is definitely in need of some help from his new found little friend.

The mythology of the gnome is not unlike the folklore of genies and leprechauns which is rich and deep, but as Wolf says, "their mythology has been cemented in yard art. 'The Gnome' explores what happens when we take them out of the yard and invite them into our lives."

Hannah Ingram, who plays Kerri said, "'The Gnome' is such a funny little play that just makes you want to find out what happens next!"

Isaac Rathbone is a Brooklyn, New York based playwright specializing in works that explore lesser-known events and people that highlight the American identity. Rathbone has previously written historical plays including: "Captain Ferguson's School for Balloon Warfare," "Undeclared History," and "The March of the Bonus Army."

The cast of "The Gnome" will include Nicholas Piper as Barry, Justin Tyler Lewis as Billy, Carrie Smith Lewis as Yvonne and Hannah Ingram as Kerri. There will also be a radio voiceover by Nick Koesters.

"The Gnome" is made possible by corporate sponsor Big Weenie Productions. The Barter Theatre is funded in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.