BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) -A play about a Kentucky candy maker is headed to an off-Broadway stage, and a hometown theater group is raising money to make the trip and cheer them on.
Playwright Cat Goguen is taking audiences back to the 1920s with the true story of Ruth Hunt, a Mount Sterling candy maker whose friends pushed her to turn sweets made at home into a real business.
“Ruth Hunt, who is from Mount Sterling, a candy maker, starting in the 1920s at her home with a bridge club. And her friends encouraged her to branch out into a business,” Goguen said.
Goguen said the play is more than a history lesson. It is a story about what it took for a woman to build something in a time when that was not easy, and why that message still matters across Kentucky today.
“That’s what people need to know about Kentucky and about small towns in Kentucky. The people are resilient. And this, I think, represents that. And I think that’s why taking it to the national stage,” Goguen said.
The play was first performed in Mount Sterling, then taken to Louisville, where the response helped push it onto a bigger stage.
“Grace Regional Arts Center at Mount Sterling first performed. They performed it in April at the Actors Theater in Louisville. And that’s when we all found out that it’s going to New York City,” said Willie Carr, an actor and supporter.
Supporters in the community said the trip is not cheap, but they believe it is worth it, not just for the cast and crew, but for Eastern Kentucky.
“I hope we break the stereotype,” said Donna Mills, an actor and supporter.
“Don’t ever give up. If you have a dream, you know, catch it,” Carr said.
The performance is set for Aug. 29 at the Jerry Orbach Theater in New York City. The group said they are fundraising now to help cover travel costs and taking donations online.
More information is available on their Facebook page.
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