When one thinks of Appalachia, a few images come to mind — foggy mountain ranges, coal mining and bluegrass music, just to name a few. However, Appalachia is so much more than the stereotypical collection of mental slideshows one may click through.
The stories of Black Appalachian experiences are an important example of history that has been overshadowed and underappreciated in its mark on building history. Black Appalachians’ stories are rooted in history that runs deeper than the mountains themselves and have become a canon for stages from foothills to footlights. These stories have been collected and handed down through generations, important memories and experiences that have shaped the lives of Black Appalachians. They are stories of hardship and hope, told by the voices that echo their legacy.
Black Stories Black Voices, or BSBV, was created in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, a headline that shook the nation to its core. According to Terrance Jackson, director of outreach and Black Stories Black Voices at Barter Theatre, Barter’s staff knew they had to respond and face the reality that the stories of the Black community and especially the Black Appalachian communities were not being represented in a way that best represents the values of the theater and its leadership.
“It started as a playwriting edition, where we committed to reading one new play by a Black playwright in Barter’s annual Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights. It has since grown into a mission to tell and amplify Black stories and Black voices through playwriting, acting and all theatrical disciplines,” Jackson said. “With BSBV, we hope to help shine a light on the richness of the Black experience in the Appalachian region, and for this region, with plays, readings and community engagement opportunities such as our post-show events during our main stage season and our annual monologue event called ‘SHINE: Illuminating Black Stories.’”
BSBV collects stories from Black community members throughout Appalachia and from news articles and books.
“With permission from the original owners of those stories, we give Black playwrights from all over the world the opportunity to write about those original stories — giving voice to unheard people, places and events,” Jackson explained.
Following the ideals set forth by Barter founder Robert Porterfield concerning inclusivity, BSBV provides opportunities for Black stories and artists to have a place on Barter’s stages. By upholding the idea that all of Appalachia should have a place to see themselves onstage, BSBV is changing the face of what it means to be a playwright in Appalachia.
“I hope (BSBV) means that people in our region care about diverse stories, storytelling and storytellers, that the Black stories from our region matter and have a place on all stages and that they should be told,” Jackson said. “Our hope is that Black people in our region see Barter as a place that sees them for who they are and welcomes them.”
Not only does BSBV support representation for all of Appalachia, it also enriches the community on a multicultural level — a bigger stage than even Jackson could have imagined.
“BSBV provides opportunities for our community to support Black theater, stories and artists. It enriches the community by giving them theatrical programming that they may have never seen before and don’t have access to unless they went to a larger city,” he said. “It enriches the community by educating our audiences on Black histories that come from this region, and it also exposes our audiences to the Black American theater canon, when we produce such plays like ‘Skeleton Crew’ by Dominique Morisseau or ‘Home’ by Samm-Art Williams.”
Having this kind of representation is also a very important part of, not only theater, but the history of the region and those that have experienced it.
“If we don’t have representation, how will the next generation know they can do something?” Jackson emphasized. “I hope through BSBV we are showing young Black people that they can be a theater artist when they grow up and have a career. I hope we are showing other regions that they can tell the Black stories of their regions also, and that people will come and will want to support.”
Ultimately, according to Jackson, it’s important to expose audiences to the Black American theater canon while also creating the Black Appalachian theater canon.
“We’re a young program and initiative compared to the rest of the Barter company as a whole, but we have a strong vision on the expansion of this programming, and I’m excited to see what the future will hold for BSBV,” he said.
For more information on BSBV, please visit bartertheatre.com.
