PRESS RELEASE FOR MICK SOUTER’S TOURING MUSICAL THEATER “CELEBRATE WEST VIRGINIA” ARTS, in cooperation with Jackson County Schools, will present a free performance by West Virginia’s “Bard of Education”, Mick Souter in his one-man show, “Celebrate West Virginia” on Oct. 20th at 7pm at Ripley High School auditorium. Mick Souter will perform a variety of songs and stories that celebrate the people, the history, and the culture of West Virginia. Souter is an energetic multi-instrumentalist who accompanies himself on banjo, guitar, harmonica, auto harp, dulcimer, fiddle, recorder and piano as he encourages the audience to sing-a-long on a variety of songs, some of which are Mick Souter originals. Students from Evans Elementary School, under the direction of music teacher Susan Matheny, will join Souter on stage to perform some of the songs during the concert. This program is funded in part through a grant from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Over the past twenty years, Mick Souter’s Touring Musical Theater has performed full-time for hundreds of thousands of people in schools, state parks, festivals, theaters and venues such as Tamarack, Snowshoe, and The Cultural Center in Charleston. Souter’s shows are designed to both entertain and educate, providing family programming that offers something enjoyable for audiences of all ages. In addition to “Celebrate West Virginia”, his other shows include “A Visit With Stephen Foster”, “The Roads and Rails of Woody Guthrie”, and “All Aboard the Iron Horse” all of which are done in costume and character. Souter was recently featured in a PBS special report that focused on his newest school program, “Healthy Bodies/Healthy Lives”, in which he uses his art as a folk singer and storyteller to address the critical problem of childhood obesity and diabetes. “My ‘Healthy Bodies’ program is one that is extremely important because it impacts directly on the health and well being of students and adults”, said Souter. This program was hosted by most of the Randolph County elementary schools in 2005 and it ties in with the Governor’s initiative on improving the overall health of West Virginia children. “There is an important mission with ‘Celebrate West Virginia’ as well”, states Souter, “This is a West Virginia pride program designed to focus on the many things we have to be proud of as West Virginians. I make sure everyone gets involved in what I call “Singin’ Mountain Pride” and that when they leave, everyone will know the words to the state song, the ‘West Virginia Hills’ and feel proud of our beautiful state”. |
