Company K playwright, actors, to talk about ‘Telling Our Stories’ at Asheboro library

Ali Evarts, Isaac Klein, Jason Lott and Barbara Presnell

ASHEBORO – Along with poet/playwright Barbara Presnell, three actors from the upcoming theatrical production Company K: From Asheboro to the Fields of France, have experience publishing or producing their original work.

The three – Ali Evarts, Isaac Klein and Jason Lott – will join Presnell to discuss their experiences putting ideas on paper and sharing them with the world in “Telling Our Stories: Company K and Beyond,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 20, at the Asheboro Public Library. The discussion, sponsored by the library in conjunction with Rhinoleap Productions, is free and the public is invited.

The four have a broad range of writing experience, including poetry, playwriting, screenwriting and nonfiction.

Evarts is a native north Carolinian and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who acts, writes and produces for stage and film. Klein, a graduate of UNC School of the Arts, is a Winston-Salem based writer, director, teacher and performer, and author of the book The School of Doing: Lessons from Theater Master Gerald Freedman. Lott, based in Los Angeles, is an actor and filmmaker whose darkly awkward buddy road trip comedy Burying Yasmeen is currently available on iTunes.

Asheboro native and Lexington resident Presnell is a poet and playwright whose most recent book of poetry, Blue Star, recounts the impact of war on her family from the Civil War to the present day. Her grandfather served in Company K; his letters served as the backbone of her script for the Company K production.

One of her previous books, Piece Work, about her father’s experience in the textile industry, was adapted by the Touring Theatre of North Carolina and was performed across the state for four years.

The Rhinoleap production of Company K: From Asheboro to the Fields of France takes the stage Friday, August 23-Sunday, August 25, at the historic Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro. It recounts the story of Randolph County’s Company K of the State Militia (later the National Guard) from its founding in 1911 through World War I, when it was sent to France and into battle.

In creating the play, Presnell used letters home and other original documents to bring to life the soldiers in the trenches and their loved ones at home. The production, directed by Rhinoleap Artistic Director Jeremy Skidmore, includes original music by Mark Dillon.

Originally, the play was scheduled for a one-time only performance on September 29, 2018 – the hundredth anniversary of the pivotal battle of Bellicourt, in which Company K led Allied forces in breaking the German Hindenburg Line defensive position, hastening the end of the war. The unit suffered heavy casualties, including 23 killed – a shocking loss to the small communities of Randolph County.

Back by popular demand, the play is a co-production of Rhinoleap, the library and the City of Asheboro. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.rhinoleap.com.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For more information, call 336-318-6803.