Pocahontas Co., WVa. (WVDN) – The 12th and 13th productions of Ned Dougherty’s play “Deera’s Country Funeral” will be presented Sept. 12-13 at the Opera House in Marlinton.
The play centers on Ray Sally, a farmer preparing to hold a funeral for his beloved and bedraggled tractor, Deera. The old machine is cherished by the town after helping save many lives during a historic flood. But Deera is old and deteriorating, and Ray can no longer find parts for her anymore. It’s time for her to meet her maker — or is it Ray Sally himself who is on the short road to the great beyond?
Questions of destiny, community and the measure of a life well-lived are themes in this poignant and humorous story, which was recently presented during the Appalachian Plays and Playwright’s Festival sponsored by Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Virginia.
Craig Goheen will take on the role of Ray Sally, while Jeff Marcum will portray John, the undertaker charged with conducting the unique burial. Rachel Comacho will play John’s wife Mary, a hairdresser, gossip and link to the spirit world. Jack Herold will portray their son Cole, a teenager who lives in fear of spending his entire life in Gauley County, though the place permeates his young bones. Maggie Abbott will play Carolina, a traveling storyteller recruited to give Deera’s eulogy but who has her own tragedy to overcome. Vivian Helmick portrays Corva, the Guardian Angel of Gauley County who fears a heavenly demotion if she doesn’t handle the Deera situation correctly.
Ned Dougherty is an award-winning teacher and playwright currently living in Green Bank, West Virginia. Writer, director and actor Eric Fritzius will direct the production.
Both performances of Deera’s County Funeral will begin at 7:30 p.m.
