Summer Stage Performances

(FLAT ROCK, NC)--Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site brings Sandburg’s work back to the stage this summer in free public performances of The World of Carl Sandburg and Rootabaga Stories. These 30-minute programs are offered at 10:15 a.m., Wednesday through Saturday, June 14 through July 8 and July 19 through August 12, at the park amphitheatre adjacent to the historic Sandburg home.

This year’s cast and directors from The Vagabond School of the Drama, an apprentice program of the Flat Rock Playhouse, have carefully selected excerpts from the 1960 Broadway play The World of Carl Sandburg and crafted them into a 30-mintue program of highlights for the park stage. The original play, written by Norman Corwin, focused on Carl Sandburg’s life. The World of Carl Sandburg performances are offered Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:15 a.m., rain or shine, at the park.

Apprentices from the state theater of North Carolina have also taken a selection of tales from Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories and have woven them together with musical tunes from Sandburg’s collection of folk music found in his American Songbag. The result is 30-minutes of zany and toe-tapping stories that delight “children” of all ages. Carl Sandburg created his own version of American fairy tales when he published Rootabaga Stories(1922) and Rootabaga Pigeons(1923). He replaced the European fairy tale cast of princes, princesses, castles and kingdoms with icons American children would recognize -- taxi-drivers, movie actors, skyscrapers, prairies and automobiles. The Rootabaga Stories are performed on Thursdays and Saturdays at 10:15 a.m., rain or shine.

Thanks to generous support from Eastern National, the Rootabaga Stories and The World of Carl Sandburg are offered to the public free of charge.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road. The park is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily, except Christmas Day. Scheduled guided tours of the home cost $5.00 each for adults and are free for children. The grounds are free of charge with hiking trails, a goat barn, picnic area and bookstore. Additional summer programs and events may be offered. For further information, please telephone 828-693-4178, or visit our website at www.nps.gov/carl.

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