"Homegrown Southern Short Stories" consists of three scenes, two actresses and one unforgettable slice of the South. Voices of the South is a local theater company that focuses on bringing narrative adaptations of short stories, novels and poetry to the stage.
Voices consists of seven company members, all of which are University of Memphis alumni. Their most recent stage production, "Homegrown Southern Short Stories," features stories by Eudora Welty, Joan Williams and Kate Chopin.
The Voices company previously produced "Listening" by Welty in 1997. Jenny Odle Madden, a company member and performer in "Homegrown," said that since nearly 10 years have passed, it was time to tackle "Listening" again.
"We thought it might be nice to dust it off and bring it to a new audience," Odle Madden said.
This short story was taken from Welty's autobiography, "One Writer's Beginnings," which solidified her as a master of the short story.
Welty's remarkable talent inspired Lindsey Stanfill, the stage manager of "Homegrown," to purchase one of her short story collections.
"The Welty piece is my favorite, so I just had to go read more of her work," Stanfill said.
"Vistas," written by Joan Williams, is not only a reminder of Williams' talent, but also of the creative relationship she shared with the Voices theater company before her death.
Williams, a protege of classic Southern novelist William Faulkner, even appeared onstage with the Voices company for their rendition of her short story "The Contest."
"She was a wonderfully complex person who considered writing her passion," Odle Madden said. "I think 'Vistas' is a nice way to keep her in our memory."
The beauty of all theater, not just narrative, is that the power behind a piece of literature can still hold strong over a century after they were written. Such is the case of "Story of an Hour," written by Kate Chopin in 1894.
Chopin may be remembered most for her novel, "The Awakening," but thanks to Alice Berry's performance, "Story of an Hour" is quite memorable as well.
Even though the props are sparse in "Home Grown," Berry and Odle Madden, along with these acclaimed Southern writers, paint beautiful and vibrant visuals for the audience to enjoy. Voices is committed to the tradition of narrative theatre, therefore their performances always speak louder than their surroundings.
"This form of theatre is so important in this day and age because, in general, we are spoon fed everything and not asked to use our imaginations," Odle Madden said.
There may be only four more chances to see "Homegrown Southern Stories," but luckily Voices of the South produces numerous productions throughout the calendar year.
For example, the next season of Voices will feature "Good Country People," by Flannery O'Connor, another Southern favorite.
In the meantime, however, "Homegrown Southern Short Stories" runs this Thursday through Sunday at TheatreWorks in Midtown. Thursday through Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday's matinee begins at 2 p.m.
All tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Thursday's performance is pay-what-you-can.
Call 726-0800 for reservations.
