The Cast of Welcome to West Virginia! depict West Virginia’s role in the Civil War (from left to right Zach Hyman, Allyn Faith Jones, Cara Niebling, Ross Fagan, and Tori Lyn Koszegi)The Cast of Welcome to West Virginia! (from left to right Zach Hyman, Allyn Faith Jones, Cara Niebling, Tori Lyn Koszegi, and Ross Fagan)
Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT) has long been recognized for their exemplary educational programming, providing opportunities for students age 5-18 to learn and grow through involvement in the arts. This year, GVT is expanding their educational outreach opportunities with the brand-new Educational Touring Initiative. This spring, a troupe of five professional actors will tour a new play, Welcome to West Virginia!, to schools across six counties.
Welcome to West Virginia! takes students on a theatrical journey through West Virginia history, drawing inspiration from our public schools’ history curriculum and textbooks. The play covers state landmarks and national parks, the role West Virginia played in the Civil War and how it became its own state, a history of mining, famous figures from West Virginia, and more.
The Educational Touring Initiative was co-created by GVT’s Artistic Associate Jenna Sulecki, who wrote and directed the play. “Theatre and history are a hand-in-glove fit. Theatre is constantly teaching us about where and who we have been in order to understand who we are now,” said Sulecki. “That is the goal of Welcome to West Virginia! – to help students understand the history of our state in order to envision themselves as a part of its future.”
The cast is comprised of GVT newcomers Ross Fagan, Zach Hyman, Allyn Faith Jones, Tori Lyn Koszegi, and Cara Niebling. The tour is managed by Mallory Topel. This crew will tour with a portable set, designed by Katherine Stepanek with assistance from Sol Guire, and a complete set of costumes, designed by Jenna Fawn Brown. Sound design for the play was created by Miles Peery, and props designed by Ashton Webb.
Welcome to West Virginia! is touring to elementary and middle schools across Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Fayette, Raleigh, Summers, and Monroe counties between Apr. 22 and May 17, 2024. This project was supported during initial writing and planning by Uncle Larry’s Fund, and this leg of the tour supported in part by the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area.
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Now entering its 57th season, Greenbrier Valley Theatre is a mainstay and theatre destination located in Lewisburg. The arts organization has been further recognized as a “West Virginia Jewel of the Hills,” awarded the Living the Dream Service Organization Honor Roll by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, and is a multi-year recipient of Non-Profit Business of the Year. GVT boasts a robust series of year-round programming and educational offers with the goal to enlighten, enrich, and enliven the region. Visit gvtheatre.org to learn more.
Four people died in a fire at this mobile home in Junior PHOTO: Alan Coberly
JUNIOR, W.Va. — A late night fire in Barbour County has claimed the lives of four people.
The State Fire Marshal confirms the four adults died in the blaze at a home in the town of Junior. The fire department was alerted just before 11 p.m. Wednesday. They arrived to find a mobile home fully engulfed in flames along River Avenue in the town.
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The fire was out in 15 minutes and the bodies discovered.
The Fire Marshal has investigators on scene. All four victims were adults, but further information is not known.
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The Moundsville Police Department is investigating a pharmacy break-in that led to the theft of a large amount of narcotics.
Police said the burglary happened in the early morning hours of June 30. Investigators said the suspects broke a window, went behind the pharmacy counter and stole the narcotics.
Authorities believe the suspects are from outside the area.
Police said the suspects used a stolen Infiniti Q50. The vehicle was later recovered by Ohio authorities near Cambridge.
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The investigation is ongoing and involves law enforcement agencies in multiple states.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Moundsville Police Department at 304-845-1611.
The United States Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox on Tuesday, ruling that states may exclude transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
The justices were unanimous in their analysis that the laws do not violate civil rights laws. However, the court was split on whether West Virginia’s law stood up to constitutional muster.
The ruling concludes this chapter in the ongoing cultural debate. The Save Women’s Sports Act was overwhelmingly approved by the legislature and signed by then-Gov. Jim Justice in 2021, and was almost immediately challenged in court. The legal battle trudged on for the next five years on its way to becoming a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Tuesday’s ruling settled the legal debate, but the court of public opinion weighed in on the issues long before the justice issued their legal opinions. According to Pew Research, 66 percent of U.S. adults support laws requiring athletes to compete on teams that match their biological sex. A Gallup poll found similar results, with 69 percent of adults supporting such laws.
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West Virginia is not alone in passing a law to protect women’s and girls’ sports. Twenty-six other states have recognized the basic fact that there are differences between males and females and have chosen to pass legislation acknowledging those distinctions in athletic competition.
Lawmakers, who campaigned on protecting women’s and girls’ sports, can now tell constituents that they have fulfilled their campaign promise. The Save Women’s Sports Act is now the law of the land in West Virginia.
“I would say that for the foreseeable future, we have a very certain future for women’s sports. And here in West Virginia, we know what the rules are, we know what the law is, we know that it’s constitutional,” said West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey on Talkline.
Tuesday’s ruling also presents an opportunity for legislators to move on from the issue. Discussions surrounding the topic during the legislative session have been known to grind momentum to a halt, and Republicans running for office over the last five years have made it a centerpiece of their campaigns.
The issue is now settled, at least for now.
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As J.B McCuskey cautioned,
“In the world of constitutional litigation, Dave, there’s never an end to any chapter.”
