Maynard & Stone
WVOW News
LOGAN Southern Coalition for the Arts is currently in pre-production rehearsals for their first show since March 2020, when the COVID outbreak halted their run of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The ARTS plan to come out of the closet this summer with a new production of The Rocky Horror Show.
The directors invite audiences to “come up to the lab and see what’s on the slab” this summer.
The theatre group was founded by Leah Clay Stone and Rachel Noe Maynard, both of Logan, in 2011. Originally, the duo started the Appalachian Children’s Theatre (ACT) before transitioning into a company for all ages.
“We wanted to start ACT and then eventually morph that into The ARTS because we wanted to foster the abundant talent of the youth and community in our area through artistic exposure and creative expression. It has, and always will be our mission,” Noe-Maynard, said.
Over the past twelve years the group has staged plays, musicals, kid shows, dinner theatre, haunted houses, and escape rooms. The ARTS has produced a plethora of titles including classics like A Christmas Carol, To Kill A Mocking Bird and The Wizard of Oz. The group has also produced range of other shows such as Big Fish and a stage adaptation of Night of the Living Dead.
“We have to offer a culturally rich environment for all our residents,” Maynard said. “That has been our mission from the beginning and still is today.”
The idea of doing a production of The Rocky Horror Show has always been present with both women.
“I’ve loved the movie since I was a teenager,” Clay-Stone said. “It’s the show we always wanted to do as teenagers but were told it will never happen here.”
Maynard and Stone are co-directing “Rocky” this summer at the Savas-Kostas Performing Arts Center on the Logan Campus of Southern.
“If you have ever been to a midnight showing of the film, you get it,” Maynard says. She played Janet in a 2003 stage production for Appalachian Regional Theatre at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY.
“It was so much fun,” Maynard said. “Rocky Horror is not like any other show. It’s unapologetically bold and in your face. Not to mention, has one of the best collections of songs in stage history.”
“Rocky Horror is loved by so many that we want to pay tribute to that spirit and energy by creating more than just a typical show but by building an experience for audiences,” Stone said. “This is the first time the show has ever been performed in our local area. This cast is packed from top to bottom with local actors that have graced many stages in the coalfield community theatre scene.
“We are thrilled, chilled, and fulfilled with this exciting and wonderfully talented cast of performers,” Maynard said.
The mansion’s time-warping butler, Riff Raff and the Narrator's duties will be handled by Stone and Maynard.
Hot Cup Coffee boss Michael Cline heads up the cast as the mad scientist Dr. Frank N Furter.
The naive couple will be Elijah Coleman taking on the role of Brad Majors and Kennedy Miller steps in as Janet Weiss.
Bob Fields will bring the role of Rocky to life, Holly Maynard will transform into Magenta and WVOW’s Candace Maynard steps into the tap-dancing shoes of Columbia.
Bill France will be featured in the role of rock and roller Eddie. DJ Conley will investigate the mansion as the role of Dr. Scott.
The Phantoms/Transylvanians will be played by Maddy Noe, Josh Runyon, Tyler Kinser, Levi Kelley, Olivia Carter, Alex Conley, Madeline Lardieri, and Rylee Hensley.
Maddy Noe
Maddy Noe, a sophomore at Logan High, was recently selected to take part in the 2022 Governor’s School for the Arts. The school is a three week annual program between June twenty-sixth and July sixteenth at Marshall University. Noe's cirriculum will center around Theatrical Productions.
The Rocky Horror Show originally opened at London’s Royal Court Theatre on June 19, 1973, quickly developing a cult following. The show was adapted into the 1975 film “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which has the longest-running release in film history.
Moreover, Rocky will be presented in conjunction with Southern WV Community & Technical College’s S-Con, Gaming, and Pop Culture Convention. Two performances are planned for the day of the convention July 16th. There will be an afternoon performance at 2 pm and an evening performance at 7 pm
The show will be presented for a total of three weekends beginning July fifteenth. All other shows start at 7 p.m.
Advance Tickets are now on sale at https://artsrockyhorror.brownpapertickets.com/. Packages include “standard” admission tickets $12 each or “Ultimate Admission” which comes with an audience participation pack, with props to bring you into the action for an additional five dollars.
All seats are general admission, with no reserved seating.
The cast of the Southern Coalition for the Arts summer production of The Rocky Horror Show.