The British are coming! Or at least the memories of the British rule and the American revolution are coming to life once again this summer at the Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain.
Written by former WBTV news anchor Bob Inman, "Liberty Mountain" will be performed at the Joy from June 24 through July 17, 2016. The play is presented by the Kings Mountain Little Theater and Patrick Yarn Mills.
Each performance begins with these words: "The Battle lasted for only an hour. One bloody, savage hour that echoed through the colonies, across oceans, into time itself... an hour that changed everything."
Telling the story of "the hardy, resourceful people who settled the Carolinas and their crucial role in the winning of American Independence," the production involves more than 30 professional actors, technicians and designers. The cast includes both local actors and the drama's Core Artist program of college theater students.
The events at Kings Mountain were set in motion in September 1780, when Major Patrick Ferguson issued a challenge to the rebel militias to lay down their arms or suffer the consequences. In response, people across the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee and beyond rallied together to answer Ferguson's threat and fight for their freedom. The fighters marched more than 300 miles through rugged country and weather to face a well-trained group of superior size and strength. The resulting battle at Kings Mountain turned the tide of the American Revolution.
"We are telling a story that America needs to hear," says Artistic Director Caleb Ryan Sigmon. "We are in rough times of dispute and disagreement. I believe that we all should take an hour to fully reflect on what our nation was founded upon, what these men and women fought for, what people have died for - what it truly means to be free."
"Liberty Mountain" debuted in October 2014 and had its first summer run last year. The plan is to continue productions each year in June and July.
"Telling this story onstage night after night, year after year, is so important," says Sigmon. "This should be presented to audiences for hundreds of years after we are all gone from this earth. It should be preserved, told and retold."
For performance times and ticket information, search for "Liberty Mountain" on Facebook or visit the production's web site at libertymountaindrama.com.

By April Hoyle Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper

Photos of 2015 Production by Torrence Photography