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From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story
July 21, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
$13 – $43
Get to know the man who brought Banner Elk to life and changed the course of its history. The story of Edgar Tufts, as presented by Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, is compelling and heartwarming. And, it returns after a successful premiere run in 2019.
Tufts arrived in this isolated mountain valley in 1895 as a seminary student to organize a church. After falling in love with the people, he devoted his life to finding solutions to the area’s many needs. His determination and faith brought healthcare, education, shelter, electricity and hope to a remote area touched by poverty.
The play is set to music by John Thomas and Tommy Oaks, with book by Janet Barton Speer, using traditional mountain music, mixed with a lyrical style. Audiences will once again be moved and inspired by this great man who had no patience with boundaries.
As Lees-McRae College launches its 125th anniversary, this show is a reminder of the extraordinary results from simple deeds. Rev. and Mrs. Tufts found many eager young minds with limited opportunities for education, so they invited youth to their home to read. Next, they began a one room school in their attic. In 1900, the first dormitory opened and “Lees-McRae Institute” began with a dozen girls.
“When I came to Lees-McRae in 1978, I was captivated by the story of Rev. Edgar Tufts,” Speer said. “Edgar Tufts became enamored with mountain people — most uneducated, but abundant in wisdom and wiliness to work an unforgiving land. Banner Elk is a town based on service, and it still is. The service of learning, the service of attending to marginalized children, the service of healing, and the service of faith. Our history of service deserves celebration and that’s what we hope to do with this play.”
Tickets for the show are available here.
About Lees-McRae Summer Theatre: Since 1985, Lees-McRae Summer Theatre has provided high-quality, professional theater to community members and summer visitors. Referred to as the “Gem of the High Country,” the company specializes in musicals. Each summer the productions are brought to life by a troupe that includes aspiring performers and technicians working alongside award-winning industry professionals, mixed with a dash of local actors.
