An Evening of Appalachian Music & Storytelling featuring Ray Christian with Sparky & Rhonda Rucker
REG $22.50
Student $10.50
Child (under age of 12) $10.50
Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music Members $17.50
RAYMOND CHRISTIAN is a retired, decorated army paratrooper and combat veteran, Doctor of Education, Fulbright Specialist Expert in Education and Storytelling Narrative, and former Adjunct professor teaching African American History and Storytelling at Appalachian State University. He was honored with the 2022 National Association of Black Storytellers: Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship through South Arts and was selected as the 2017 Serenbe France Focus Storytelling Fellow (Atlanta, GA). Ray’s stories have appeared in Reader’s Digest’s 2016 Best Stories in America, the 2017 American Hero’s edition, and The New York Times bestselling book How to Tell a Story written by the Moth’s Directorial team. As a competitive storyteller, Ray is a 12-time Moth Story Slam Champion and winner of the 2016 National Storytelling Festival Story Slam. He resides in Boone, NC with his wife, children, dogs, and chickens. He produces the podcast What’s Ray Saying which features stories born out of his own life experiences: inner-city poverty, race relations, military, family, travel, and adventure.
On his roots in Black Appalachian Storytelling: Studs Terkel drew me in by the way he was able to recreate the smells and textures of poverty with his words. And because I knew some of that world, his authenticity was something to be admired. I also came to admire Frederick Douglass’ way of retelling a painful and dark past in a way that was moving and somehow motivating. And finally, my ultimate inspiration was found in the work of Alex Haley. His work taught me that one only needs to look into the complexities of his own life to find countless stories to share, those meant to preserve the past, those attempting to influence the present, and those aimed at sharing the future.
SPARKY AND RHONDA RUCKER perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. They are internationally recognized as leading musicians, authors, and storytellers. They accompany themselves with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, blues harmonica, old-time banjo, piano, spoons, and bones.
Over fifty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.
Sparky was honored with the 2022 National Association of Black Storytellers: Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship through South Arts. On his roots in Black Appalachian Storytelling: My grandfather & two uncles were Church of God Sanctified preachers and nobody tells tales better than a fundamentalist preacher. Hearing various ministers give sermons from the Old Testament [the King James version] every Sunday helped me develop my “style” and showed me the way to naturally express myself on stage. My research into black storytelling and the unique music from these mountains added to my performances.”
Please be advised: Balcony access requires the use of stairs. All ADA and limited mobility seating areas are found in the Orchestra seating level. For seating questions or inquiries, please contact the Box Office at 828.865.3000.
For all policies, please visit Venue Policies.
It is the responsibility of each ticket holder to review and abide by the policies of the the venue which can vary from show to show and are subject to change. Tickets purchased are non-refundable. In the unfortunate instance of event cancellation, performance or policy change, updated information will be posted on AppTheatre.org prior to your event and customers will be notified by email.
Your safety, and the safety of our artists and staff visit our Health & Safety Protocols page for the latest in show attendance FAQs and other information.
THIRD PARTY SELLERS / SECONDARY MARKET
Tickets for events at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country are sold exclusively through the theatre box office and online at AppTheatre.org . We DO NOT partner with third party sellers. We DO NOT accept tickets sold on a secondary market. We reserve the right to decline entry if you are not the original ticket buyer.
Tickets purchased from alternative sources may be any or all of the following:
· Not authentic
· Over-priced
· Invalid (cannot be used to enter the event)
The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country (ATHC) is not responsible for tickets purchased from third party vendors and is not able to honor, replace, or refund invalid tickets. Please purchase your tickets only from approved sources.
PARKING INFORMATION
Please be sure to carefully read the information and instructions below for the best experience when you visit the theatre.
Metered street parking & pay lots are monitored and parking is enforced Monday – Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 pm except on town observed holidays.
Parking is $1.00/hour at all metered parking spaces.
Metered & lot parking is free all day on Sundays and every day after 5 p.m.
Parking in Appalachian State parking lots (e.g. the Peacock Lot accessed off Howard Street) is available for free on week nights after 5 p.m. and on non-gameday/event weekends on Saturday and Sunday.
Accessible Parking:
Parking at metered accessible parking areas is free, as long as the correct placard/license plate is displayed and up to date.
ATHC does not own or operate any parking lots or meters and cannot accept responsibility for any parking mishaps or fees.