Theatre West Virginia Productions

You’ve spent all day enjoying Southern West Virginia – discovering what makes it “wild and wonderful.” You are exhausted from hiking, climbing, rafting, swimming and anything else you may have discovered while enjoying your rugged stay. Now you want to relax, but you don’t want to miss out on anything else you might be able to take in.

The answer is simple: Go to an outdoor drama. Southern West Virginia offers several unique opportunities to experience this historic entertainment.

Theatre West Virginia in Beckley produces Hatfields and McCoys and Honey in the Rock, two of the most well-known West Virginia dramas. Hatfields and McCoys retells the popular story of the famous, and seemingly ancient, feud between the two aforementioned families. Using pieced-together stories passed down from generation to generation along with some interesting creative add-ins, this drama will leave you wondering whether it was love or a hog that started the timeless feud.

“Honey in the Rock chronicles the tumultuous birth of the Mountain State through the lives of some of its real and imagined residents,” according to TheatreWestVirginia.com. The historical drama tells the Civil War era story from West Virginia’s perspective, and it adds life and color to the history of its formation.

These two dramas are performed in the summer months. Contact Theatre West Virginia at 800-666-9142 or visit their website for specific times, dates and pricing information.

If the coal mines are your favorite part of West Virginia, you must see Terror of The Tug. This outdoor drama, written by Jean Battlo, is about the coal mining wars that occurred in Southern West Virginia during the early 1920s. Triggered by the “Matewan Massacre,” and urged on with the assassination of the police chief, the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars are arguably the most important part of the history of coal mining in the Mountain State. This drama is shown two weekends a year – July 25-26 and August 1-2 – at the McArts Amphitheatre in McDowell County. For specific times and other information, contact the amphitheatre at 304-585-7959.

Big Dreams… Restless Spirit, written by Greenbrier County native Robert Tuckwiller, is an outdoor drama about the changes to the town of Ronceverte, West Virginia in the early 1900s due to the cessation of log drives on account of the railroad’s emergence. “With excitement, suspense, romance and humor, Big Dreams...Restless Spirit will fill you with inspiration,” says the drama’s official website, RidersoftheFlood.com. “Many exciting new ideas and challenges came to West Virginia in the early 1900's and [the] characters welcome them all with open minds and positive attitudes.” Your entire family can be entertained by this historical drama while “you relax on the banks of the Greenbrier River.”

This drama will be shown at the Island Park Amphitheatre in Ronceverte, West Virginia September 4-6 and 11-13. For ticket information and details, contact the Tuckwiller Gallery at 304-645-2070.