{"id":1710,"date":"2025-07-11T14:13:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/1710\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T14:13:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:13:04","slug":"tennessee-town-corrects-the-record-with-play-about-the-scopes-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/1710\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee town corrects the record with play about the Scopes trial"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago when local leaders planned a test trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools. What they got from the eight-day Scopes trial<\/a> was more than they bargained for.<\/p>\n

The trial of the century \u2014 and the first to be broadcast over the radio \u2014 inspired articles, books, plays and movies, including the popular \u201cInherit the Wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also characterized Dayton as an uneducated town of strident Christian fundamentalists, a narrative locals have spent decades trying to rewrite.<\/p>\n

For over 30 years, people in Rhea County have put on a play every July using the trial transcript, aiming to correct the record.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Stan<\/p>\n

Stan Lane, portraying Judge John T. Raulston in the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d acts during rehearsal. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Stan Lane, portraying Judge John T. Raulston in the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d acts during rehearsal. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\"Judge<\/p>\n

Judge John T. Raulston of Winchester, Tenn., holds the decision in the Scopes case at the Rhea County Courthouse on July 17, 1925. (AP Photo\/File)<\/p>\n

Judge John T. Raulston of Winchester, Tenn., holds the decision in the Scopes case at the Rhea County Courthouse on July 17, 1925. (AP Photo\/File)<\/p>\n

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In their own words, the actors and director of \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d explain the complexities of the town captured by history.<\/p>\n

The director <\/p>\n

Dan Buck was a theater professor at a nearby private university when he got an email seeking a director for the play about the Scopes trial. Buck knew about the trial, but didn\u2019t know Dayton had its own play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legacy of little towns telling their own story through theater is rich history, right?\u201d Buck said, noting the tradition was playfully lampooned in the mockumentary, \u201cWaiting for Guffman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Locals have put on the play to counter the stereotypes and creative liberties from \u201cInherit the Wind,\u201d as well as columnist H.L. Mencken\u2019s harsh critique of residents at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quickly learned that the people of the town here are not real fond of the play or the movie,\u201d Buck said. \u201cThey call it the \u2018Scottish play,\u2019 which is a reference to Macbeth, the thing you\u2019re not supposed to say: the cursed play.\u201d<\/p>\n

In truth, the story of the trial was more complicated and nuanced than most people think.<\/p>\n

John T. Scopes, the local teacher, was a willing participant in testing the anti-evolution law, and prosecutor William Jennings Bryan didn\u2019t die after the trial because he was defeated by defense attorney Clarence Darrow\u2019s arguments.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Director<\/p>\n

Director Dan Buck poses for a portrait before a rehersal of \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d, July 8, 2025, in Dayton, Tenn. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Director Dan Buck poses for a portrait before a rehersal of \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d, July 8, 2025, in Dayton, Tenn. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

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In directing the play on the trial\u2019s 100th anniversary, Buck says he is working toward the same mission Dayton leaders had a century ago. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am building up the buzz about this town, getting people here to get them excited, putting Dayton on the map,\u201d Buck said. \u201cMaybe we are trying to use this story and this trial to get a little attention to this specific place.\u201d <\/p>\n

The descendant<\/p>\n

Jacob Smith, 23, didn\u2019t realize his connection to the most famous trial until he started studying history. His great-great-great-grandmother\u2019s brother was Walter White, the county superintendent of schools and one of the key figures who brought the trial to Dayton.<\/p>\n

Smith plays Dudley Field Malone, a defense attorney for Scopes who gave speeches as equally impassioned and memorable during the trial as Bryan and Darrow. One of Smith\u2019s favorite lines to deliver is a reference to the so-called battle between the two sides in court. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe basically says, \u2018There is never a duel with the truth,\u2019\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe said, \u2018It always wins. It is no coward. It does not need the law, the forces of government, or,\u2019 and he pauses, \u2018Mr. Bryan.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jacob<\/p>\n

Jacob Smith, who plays the role of Dudley Field Malone in the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d poses for a portrait. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Jacob Smith, who plays the role of Dudley Field Malone in the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton\u201d poses for a portrait. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

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Smith is currently the county archivist, and he delights in seeing people visit Dayton\u2019s original courthouse with its squeaky and shiny wood floors, tall windows and impressive stairs that lead up to the wide courtroom on the second floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can hold the handrails going up to that circuit courtroom, just like those lawyers would have done and all those spectators would have done back in 1925,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Great Commoner\u2019<\/p>\n

Larry Jones has acted in community and local theater since childhood, so he thought he knew the story of the Scopes trial after performing in a production of \u201cInherit the Wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He later realized the famous play was taking creative liberties to make the trial a metaphor for something else captivating the nation\u2019s attention at the time: McCarthyism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jones plays the role of Bryan, a famous Christian orator and populist politician whose speeches earned him the nickname of \u201cthe Great Commoner.\u201d He says the hardest part was not learning the lengthy speeches Bryan gives during the trial, but rather the sparring he must do when Darrow unexpectedly puts Bryan on the stand to defend the literal truth of the Bible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just having to respond spontaneously, and it feels spontaneous every time,\u201d Jones said. \u201cSo part of my mind is going, \u2018Oh my gosh, is that the right cue? Am I going to say the right thing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Larry<\/p>\n

Larry Jones, who portrays William Jennings Bryan, left, rehearses with other actors in the play. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Larry Jones, who portrays William Jennings Bryan, left, rehearses with other actors in the play. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Bible is placed on the set during a rehearsal for the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton.\u201d (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

A Bible is placed on the set during a rehearsal for the play \u201cDestiny in Dayton.\u201d (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

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Jones said audiences still connect to the retelling of the trial a century later because these are issues they continue to deal with<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are still arguing the same case,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhat is the role of the federal government or the state government in public school systems? What should be allowed? What shouldn\u2019t be allowed? What can parents exert influence over for their children\u2019s sake? Whether it\u2019s evolution or whether it\u2019s literature or any of the political issues that are abundant today, it still is the same argument.\u201d<\/p>\n

No conclusion<\/p>\n

The outcome of the trial was no great surprise. The jury found Scopes guilty after a few minutes of deliberation. The defense attorneys\u2019 goal all along, however, was to take the legal argument to a higher court. <\/p>\n

Today, Dayton embraces its place in history with the annual celebration of the trial. Businesses advertise and promote the \u201cMonkey trial.\u201d And locals have adopted the phrase: \u201cDayton has evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re dusting off a very old story, but it\u2019s very new,\u201d said Buck. \u201cIt\u2019s very, very right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Larry<\/p>\n

Larry Jones, who portrays William Jennings Bryan, in white suit, rehearses with other actors in the play. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Larry Jones, who portrays William Jennings Bryan, in white suit, rehearses with other actors in the play. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 A small town in eastern Tennessee courted national publicity and attention a century ago…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,2224,2231,2228,526,88,793,2230,2227,2220,2221,149,3,2229,79,2219,2222,2226,795,21,19,22,20,25,24,2223,2225],"class_list":["post-1710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-clarence-darrow","tag-dan-buck","tag-education","tag-entertainment","tag-general-news","tag-jacob-smith","tag-john-t-scopes","tag-larry-jones","tag-legal-proceedings","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-religion","tag-science","tag-tennessee","tag-tn-state-wire","tag-trials","tag-u-s-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-walter-white","tag-william-jennings-bryan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}