GOING UP THE COUNTRY Gets Going At Lost Nation Theater

They say you've got to know the past to move forward, and with Eric Peterson & John Foley's stage adaptation of Yvonne Daley's book Going Up the Country, presented Saturday April 9th as an in-person staged-reading at LNT, we get to do just that!

This new play with music by Eric Peterson and composer John Foley (of Pump Boys & Dinettes) based on Yvonne Daley's book "Going up the Country" begins when the Hippies, Dreamers, Freaks, and Radicals moved to Vermont and explores how the Counterculture changed Vermont.

"When I (re)read about what happened in Vermont, and the country at large, I'm again excited by Yvonne's story that we are privileged to tell. For those of us who lived it, it still has new discoveries for us - and for the audience!"
- John Foley, composer/co-writer.

Lost Nation Theater Founding Artistic Director Kim Allen Bent once again directs. (LNT previously hosted two sit-down readings - one for just the writers, one for the public- in 2020 & '21.)

"Telling Vermont stories has always been one of Lost Nation Theater's primary reasons for being, and Going Up The Country is an amazing opportunity to re-live how it came to be that in less than one lifetime our little State has evolved from conservative bastion to progressive voice. No matter how you feel about that, it's been a remarkable and incredibly dramatic journey. We look forward to sharing it!" - Kim Bent

For this staged reading, Bent leads a cast of four powerhouse actor-singer-musicians: Sorsha Anderson, Ann Harvey, Robert Nuner, and David Ruffin. They are new to the project, but not the stage, or to LNT or to developing new work!

The multi-talented cast and writers are being led through an intensive workshop and rehearsal process by Bent, aided by stage manager Marissa Mattongno, to shape the stage reading, which will be followed by discussion with the audience.

A workshop has a miraculous virtue: it takes the two-dimensional art form (words on paper) and inflates, expands, and constructs language into a three-dimensional circus. Experimentation fuels the work - take a chance! "Hey what if...?" is frequently employed by the actors, director, musicians, and passers-by (now and then)! And somehow ... it works! - John Foley

Playwright Eric Peterson (founder of Bennington's Oldcastle Theatre) - who first met LNT Founder Kim Bent back in the 1960's as high school students at Vermont Principal Association "One Act Drama Festivals" - elaborates:

A Workshop is something playwrights look forward to with great anticipation and great fear. It is a time of discovery, and that can be revelatory or severe-headache inducing. We know we have a fascinating story - often funny, sometimes sad, always interesting, with great tunes, and just maybe a bit long. The workshop will tell us what works, what isn't quite right yet or - and this is what we always fear - that we should be in another profession!

The performance is at 2:00pm on Saturday April 9th.

To keep everyone safe, proper mask-wearing, proof of full vaccination, and adherence to other Covid-safety protocols are required for in-person seating. The Performance will also be live-streamed for anyone not yet comfortable gathering indoors (or who is unable to meet the industry-standard covid-safety protocols LNT must follow).

All Tickets are $10 each (In person or for the live-stream).

Available On-Line; by Phone (Tu-Fri, 11am-3pm) or In Person at Montpelier City Clerks Office (M-F, 8:30am-4pm).
By purchasing tickets you agree to adhere to all of LNT's safety protocols, which can be found on www.lostnationtheater.org phone: 802-229-0492.