Big Stone Gap, VA – More than 700 people, representing ticket sales from 20 states and 3 different countries, descended on Union High School Auditorium in Big Stone Gap on Saturday, October 15th for the first live “theatrical experience” from Old Gods of Appalachia, the eldritch horror fiction podcast created by Wise County natives Cam Collins and Steve Shell. The atmosphere in the lobby was buzzing with excitement from a wide range of people, gathered for a common interest in the hugely popular podcast’s live show, presented by Pro-Art. The line to snatch up the best of the general admission seats wound all the way down the hall and around the perimeter of the high school’s cafeteria. Pro-Art’s Executive Director, Michael McNulty, said “I got a bit nervous about the demand when we launched online ticket sales almost 2 months in advance of the show and got more than 250 orders for tickets in the first hour! My email notifications were dinging so rapidly I thought that something was malfunctioning on my computer!”
The cast of the radio-play style performance was warmly welcomed by the crowd with a roar of applause and lots of cheers. The audience spoke along with the traditional opening of the show that suggests that “listener discretion is advised.” The performance represented a variety of stories, music, and even fake commercials all seamlessly blended together. It was full of humor, pathos, love, hate, suspense, and the signature fear-factor that has made Old Gods of Appalachia one of the most popular podcasts of its genre. The enthusiastic crowd was clearly poised in eager anticipation of the final moment in the show when they almost involuntary rose to their feet, applauding and cheering the cast and creators in a truly impulsive standing ovation. Co-creator Shell said to the crowd that if you had told him all those years ago that he’d be standing here doing this in Wise County, “I never would have believed you.” Clearly overwhelmed by the crowd response, Shell and Collins remained on the stage where a swarm of 150 fans clustered to meet them and share their thoughts and feelings for over an hour after the curtain closed.
McNulty said that Pro-Art was proud to host an event that meant so much to our region, community, and its extended members from so many different places. Ticket orders were processed through Pro-Art’s website from people representing Tel Aviv Israel, Nova Scotia Canada, and the states of Alaska, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and of course Virginia! “This event reminds us how important it is to come together, beyond the screens of our devices, to remember who and what we are and imagine what we might be,” McNulty said.
Pro-Art would like to thank Steve Shell, Cam Collins, Cecil Baldwin, Yuri Lowenthal, Aliya Johnson, Brandon Sartain, Tracey Johnston-Crum, Corey Ryan Forrester, Allison Mullins, Betsy Puckett, Landon Blood, Keena Graham, Miguel Olascuaga, and Jacob Danielsen-Moore for an unforgettable performance.
Pro-Art’s mission is to promote the arts and expand accessibility to cultural experiences for residents and students in Wise, Lee, and Dickenson Counties and the City of Norton. For more information about our planned performances, please visit proartva.org. You can find the Pro-Art Association on social media @ProArtVA. This performance was supported in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Mountain Empire Community College, and the Columbus Phipps Foundation. For more information about Pro-Art, please visit proartva.org, call the office at (276) 376-4520, or send an email to pro-art@uvawise.edu.
###