A 30 minute piece of puppetry originally created by Mikayla Wilson in collaboration with the Vance Birthplace Historical Site staff for the Juneteenth program at the Vance Birthplace Historical Site, Leah & the Rabbit is making a journey throughout Buncombe Country in partnership with Buncombe County libraries and the Vance Birthplace Historical Site with the support of ArtsAVL and the Mountain History and Culture Group.
After its origin last Juneteenth at the Vance birthplace, Leah and the Rabbit has played as part of the City of Asheville’s Art in the Heart, the Asheville Fringe Festival, and the Asheville Amadeus Festival. This June, with the support of the ArtsAVL Grassroots Grant, the show will tour across the county, bringing this powerful story to more audiences than ever. Ms. Wilson says, “The show talks about the forgotten stories of the enslaved people owned by the Vance family. Leah Erwin is one of twenty-seven known enslaved people that were owned by and lived with the Vance family. Leah’s story is paired with the tales of Br’er Rabbit, a popular folk story character that was passed down by enslaved people but appropriated by white storytellers with racial bias. Many Black people were brought to Asheville for cheap or enslaved labor to support the tourist industry in the antebellum period. Now, Black people must compete with systems that favor the wealthy or privileged. This story is meant to question the people who are being removed from Asheville and who can afford to stay.” AMC Curator Aaron Snook says, “We couldn’t be more excited that this new American Myth has a chance to grow and find new audiences. We’re extremely grateful to ArtsAVL and the Mountain History and Culture Group for the support.”
TOUR SCHEDULE
JUNE 10 @ 11AM ~ FAIRVIEW LIBRARY
JUNE 10 @ 2PM ~ LEICESTER LIBRARY
JUNE 17TH @ 11AM & 1PM ~ VANCE BIRTHPLACE HISTORICAL SITE
JUNE 24 @ 11AM ~ SWANNANOA LIBRARY
JUNE 24 @ 2PM ~ PACK LIBRARY
LIBRARY SHOWS: With the support of ArtsAVL’s generous Grassroots Grant, this event is free for all; simply show up and enjoy the show.
VANCE BIRTHPLACE SHOW: With the support of the Mountain History and Culture Group, this free event will be ticketed with a pre-show historical tour and post-show moderated discussion. Seats will be limited and can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-leah-the-rabbit-tickets-637397080827
CREATIVES: Leah & the Rabbit is created and directed by Mikayla Wilson with puppets created by Mikayla Wilson and Aaron Snook featuring Mikayla Wilson, Mack Moseley, and Sherly Moore as puppeteers and Stephanie Hickling Beckman as the voice of Leah.
AMC INFO: The AMC’s mission is to curate stories to spark necessary conversation within our community. Upon reflecting on the AMC, founder Aaron Snook says, “While our mission stays the same, we continue to evolve in how we achieve that goal. This year’s initiatives, Leah & the Rabbit and A Different Myth (our new play development collaboration with Different Strokes) continue our journey in discovering how we can best serve our beloved community.”