SART Presents The Belle of Amherst
Based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), The Belle of Amherst is a one-woman play written in 1976 by William Luce and a long-time favorite at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART). Directed by C. Robert Jones, the play opened at SART in Mars Hill in 1978 and has toured the Southeast for the past 38 years. It will be presented again by SART in the Mars Hill Radio Theatre July 13–16 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m. on July 17. The production is part of SART’s 42nd season, and stars Susan King, a Mars Hill University theatre arts graduate and a SART veteran.
The Belle of Amherst is set in Emily Dickinson’s home in Amherst, Massachusetts. In the play, audiences come to know the poet as a shy, funny woman who loved animals, nature, and of course words, and who lived a solitary life. In the production, she invites the audience into her home for tea and black cake, and then shares confidences about her past, including her experiences with nature, mischief, heartbreak, and hope. The playwright utilized her diaries and letters in constructing the storyline for the play.
The play enjoyed 25th and 30th anniversary return engagements at SART (in 2003 and 2008) and was last performed by Susan King at the Lilith Lidseen Center for the Performing Arts in Hayesville. The original set furnishings, by Diana McWilliams, have been preserved with few exceptions. The original costume was designed and built by Sara Stewart who replaced the dress with a successor in 1994.
Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems—most of which, per her style, were untitled—and several hundred of them are considered to be among the finest ever written by an American poet. Fewer than a dozen of her poems, however, were published during her lifetime.
“From the moment I first held William Luce’s luminous script in my hand and began to search for Emily’s voice,” Susan told The Laurel, “I was acutely aware of the sacred ground I was about to set my foot upon. It is always my deep, silent prayer that I will offer responsible representation to Emily Dickinson’s splendid, iconoclastic soul, and reverent interpretation of her words…”
Susan was a cofounder and artistic director of Tapestry Theatre Company in Wilmington from 1988–1998. The theater was recognized during that ten-year period as the most culturally diverse professional theater in North Carolina. In September 1998, she joined the staff of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance at Appalachian State University where she works in diversity outreach and education.
Tickets ($22.50–25) may be purchased online at sartplays.org or by calling 828.689.1239 between 1–4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
