MOUNTAIN MOVERS THEATRE COMPANY PARTNERS WITH THE JETTIE BAKER CENTER To BRING “WHEN I’M GONE” TO DICKENSON COUNTY
DICKENSON COUNTY, Va. – March 15, 2023
The Jettie Baker Center is partnering with Mountain Movers Theatre Company, based in Louisa, KY, to bring the historical fiction story of local Bluegrass legends to the stage in the show When I’m Gone.
On the night Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys came to Fort Gay, the lives of two teenage musicians were changed forever. After arriving late to a New Year's Eve gig at a local bar in 1969, Ralph Stanley hears fifteen-year-old Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley singing the songs he himself made famous with his deceased brother and singing partner, Carter. Ralph is so moved by their performance that he takes the two young musicians under his wing and on the road with him, jump-starting their professional music careers and setting them both on the path to world fame. The other people who came to the bar that New Year's Eve may not have become celebrities. But that night had profound, life-changing consequences for everyone who saw Ralph Stanley play.
The show features actors and musicians from all over the country, and includes some big Bluegrass names including Don Rigsby and Danny Davis.
“This is a really hopeful story about people growing, transforming, and really taking control of their lives”, said Michael Ross Albert, the playwright.
The Jettie Baker Center, located at 348 Main Street, is an updated high-tech multi-functional performance and events venue owned and operated by the Town of Clintwood, VA. Originally built in the 1940’s as the Mullins Theater, it was donated to the town and public funding went in to re-purposing the building to what it is today. Jettie Baker Director, Sara Phillips, said, “The mission of the Jettie Baker Center is to keep the history and tradition of Appalachian Music alive. We are thrilled to partner with Mountain Mover’s Theatre Company to bring a small part of history from our very own Ralph Stanley, to the stage of the Jettie.”
Dana Cronkhite, Director of Economic Development for the county said, “This event is the first of what I believe will be many impressions made on our community by Addition Recovery Care (ARC). Mountain Movers Theatre Group is an enterprise of ARC, further illustrating the commitment to rooting themselves in the communities where they operate. ARC is revitalizing lives while helping revitalize local economies, making them great places to live. We hope that everyone will come out and see this production and give ARC a warm welcome to Dickenson County.”
When I’m Gone will run at the Jettie Baker Center in Clintwood, VA April 14 and 15 at 7pm and April 16 at 3pm.
Tickets can be purchased at mtnmoverstheatre.com or by calling the Mountain Movers Theatre Company Box Office at 606-331-8932