‘Music From Home’ one-man show Jan. 31 at San Juan Community Theatre

“Listen to the stories that people tell you,” Roadside Theater’s Ron Short says. “In them, you will find the truths that people want most revealed about their lives.” Short brings his stories from the Appalachians to Friday Harbor on Jan. 31 when he and Kentucky’s Roadside Theater present "Music from Home" on the San Juan Community Theatre’s Whittier stage.

January 22, 2009 2:29 pm
'Listen to the stories that people tell you. In them
'Listen to the stories that people tell you. In them

“Listen to the stories that people tell you,” Roadside Theater’s Ron Short says. “In them, you will find the truths that people want most revealed about their lives.”

Short brings his stories from the Appalachians to Friday Harbor on Jan. 31 when he and Kentucky’s Roadside Theater present “Music from Home” on the San Juan Community Theatre’s Whittier stage.

Short’s one-man show features powerful vocal renditions of original songs — sometimes sung a cappella, sometimes accompanied by banjo, guitar, fiddle and accordion. Woven through the musical score is a narrative of plain-spoken poems and biting commentary about life and love.

While Short’s roots and stories center on the Appalachians and a different cultural background than in the San Juan Islands, he notes that “there are certain characteristics and elements of music and stories that can be found in almost every culture and all people, such as family, home, religion, industry and self-expression.”

Short’s visit coincides with Friday Harbor’s celebration of its centennial. San Juan Community Theatre’s 2010 Islands Playwrights Festival will center on plays and monologues related to the history of Friday Harbor, and Short’s appearance will give local playwrights a chance to experience Short’s and Roadside’s particular type of storytelling that may help them in creating their Friday Harbor stories.

The San Juan Island Community Foundation awarded a special grant so that those playwrights may attend “Music from Home” for free (playwrights: contact Merritt Olsen at 378-3211, ext. 29 to reserve the complimentary seat).

In addition, Roadside’s artistic director will visit Friday Harbor in April to lead workshops on story circles (the method Roadside uses to create its programs). To learn more about Roadside Theatre, visit www.roadside.org

The evening’s business partners are VanderYacht Propane and Mike Carlson Enterprises. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for student reserved, with $5 student RUSH available at the door. A private donor has made provision for free tickets to anyone needing financial assistance to attend a theater event.

Tickets are available online at www.sjctheatre.org or via the SJCT box office, 378-3210. The box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and one hour before each performance.