StoryTown seeks talent for 250th anniversary community play

StoryTown is calling all actors, singers and history enthusiasts to audition for a brand-new community play honoring America's 250th birthday.The original show, featuring music, histories and stories, will premiere at the McKinney Center at the end of February and run through early March, according to a press release from the Town of Jonesborough.Auditions will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 10, at 103 Franklin Ave., Jonesborough. There are a variety of roles available for all ages and all levels of acting experience, according to the release.The play will tell the story of Jonesborough and the United States as seen through a local lens. Familiar names in the play include John Sevier, Andrew Jackson, Julia Bullard Nelson, Claribel and Etta Cone and movers and shakers from American history who spent time in Jonesborough. There will also be familiar names on a local level like Alfred Greenlee, Mary Nelle Roberson, Beverly Jenkins and Jimmy Neil Smith.StoryTown has been collecting oral histories from throughout the region for over a decade now, and these stories paint a picture of what Jonesborough was like through the years. The play will combine the past and present to recognize where we've been, realize where we are now, and share dreams of what the future may look like, according to the release.The McKinney Center and StoryTown have a long history with community plays, including the award-winning "I Am Home," "Lifelines" and "We Did It Together."Scenes from the play will be printed for participants to read from. Participants interested in a singing role will be asked to share a song at the audition. Rehearsals will run from January through February. A full list of characters will be posted at mckinneycenter.com and on McKinney Center and StoryTown social media sites prior to the audition dates, according to the release.This project is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.For more information, call the McKinney Center at (423) 753-0562 or email Anne Mason at annem@jonesboroughtn.org.