By: Teagan Jones
In the 2024 season of the historic production of the outdoor drama, Horn in the West in Boone, Chancellor’s Scholar Phoebe Atkins has performed as the understudy for the lead character Mary Greene, and was recently promoted to the permanent lead. This is a professional position, Atkins’ first paid theatre role, and her first time working in outdoor theatre. Horn in the West is a historical theatre production of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association, which covers Watauga and adjacent counties. The “outdoor drama brings to life the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone and the hardy settlers of the Blue Ridge Mountains in their struggle to preserve their freedom during the years before and during the War for Independence.”
Atkins is a theatre performance major and sustainable development minor who entered the Honors College in the Fall semester of 2022 and intends to graduate in May 2026. She is additionally pursing departmental honors in her major. Atkins is beginning to plan for her thesis and is hoping to complete a creative thesis that includes theatre in some aspect. From watching the creative process of writing, editing, and communicating stories in her role in Horn in the West, Atkins has gained experience that she hopes to use in her own creative process while developing her thesis.
Illustrating to the Honors College mission, which includes “to support students’ individual holistic development and engagement beyond themselves, across disciplinary boundaries, and in collaboration with others,” Atkins shared: “I have learned firsthand about the professional outdoor theatre industry (something that I couldn’t have seen on a piece of paper), and I have created relationships with people in the local Boone community, something that has also helped me empathize with and understand the story being told onstage with even more interest. I have even found connections to my minor in sustainable development throughout this production, especially when considering the ability to work outdoors without harming the natural environment, and to build connections with people from all backgrounds to create art together.”
Atkins shared the following about her experience in the Honors College:
One of the most beneficial aspects of my Honors experience to date has been the encouragement to pursue what my heart desires. Despite trying many things and figuring out what I want to do for the rest of my life, the Honors College has been steadfast in finding ways to work with students in a supportive manner. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to go beyond the classroom and still find ways to connect my experience to Honors College education at App State.
Photo above features Pheobe Atkins performing in the lead role of Mary Greene in the Horn in the West outdoor drama in Boone, July 2024. Photo Submitted.
Atkins’ work with the production has allowed her to enrich her connection with the local community of Boone, as she has been able to connect deeply with her cast members, meet new people and even visit a few of them at their homes. She shared that it “has been so incredibly rewarding to build a community with people from so many different walks of life.” She further explained that “each person that I have met has been quick to welcome everyone with open arms and offer a ride, food, or even a place to rest for the night. Seeing these wonderful interactions and also portraying a group of people who became a family onstage has been a beautiful mirror to the culture of Boone and Appalachia. It’s also encouraging to see that there are people who I’ve built relationships with who I’ll see year-round in the grocery store or at a local restaurant. I definitely recommend that any student, if given the opportunity, should build relationships with the local community, especially since there is typically a divide between the college and the locals.”
Furthermore, Atkins described how the local perspective is integral to understanding culture and shaped her connection to the community and her role onstage and as a Boone resident: “I also have been able to see and understand many different perspectives when it comes to telling the story of mountain settlers and their interactions with the indigenous community who were there beforehand, and while there is definitely still work to be done when it comes to respectful audience interactions and portrayals onstage, seeing the progress made on this topic throughout history bolsters a sense of hope that the story is moving forward in a positive direction…. In the context of history, learning about the past and even about the ways stories were told in the past connects us even more strongly to our future when considering how we treat each other. I have also found so much positivity in being able to run into people I know almost anywhere around town, especially if that person isn’t a college student. No one knows this area better than the people who have lived here a long time, and hearing about experiences and recommendations of things to do is one of the many benefits of connecting with the local community and culture.”
About her role as a performer, Atkins described, “There are several duties given to performers during the show, especially since we don’t have a concrete crew of people to move set pieces on and off stage. So, actors must learn their lines, dance numbers, music, and specific assigned set pieces to move. We also rotate around and rake the stage each night before the show to keep the sand safe for lots of movement. There are also some performers who participate in fights onstage, and we must learn specific combat choreography (including the firing of historic guns) to keep everyone safe while telling a story including violence. Furthermore, there are a few actors who are also musicians in the show (I, for example, play the fiddle a couple of times throughout the run) and we make sure to keep our instruments safe and clean while managing our other tasks. There are lots of things to think about when working on the show, but there are also several people who are willing to help out with any task that should arise.”
Her work this summer has given her many opportunities that connect to her future goal to continue working as a paid actor in live theatre. Atkins explained that she will be able to use her performance contract at the end of the summer of 2024 to apply for the Actors’ Equity Association, “a labor union representing American actors and stage managers in theatre.”
Horn in the West runs through August 10 for the 2024 season, and tickets are still available. Atkins shared that “if you don’t get a chance to come see Horn in the West this summer, I would recommend doing so at some point in your lifetime. Aside from understanding the story, there are a few students and professors in the show with connections to App State, and it’s exciting to see this sort of collaboration in a professional show… Getting out to see some of the wonderful things this area has to offer (even venturing out towards Brevard and Asheville) in terms of entertainment and arts has been one of my favorite parts of staying local in the mountains for the summer.”
Top photo features cast of Horn in the West including Honors College Student Phoebe Atkins (middle row, wearing peach dress) with the App State mascot, Yosef. Photo Submitted.
