SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — The Contemporary American Theater Festival, which runs all the way through July, is a tourist attraction among tourist attractions.
Just this year, The New York Times singled out the annual theater festival on the campus of Shepherd University as a must-see:
“We’ve picked the top festivals in theater, dance, pop and classical that we think you should see this spring and summer around the country,” wrote Steven McElroy of The Times.
He gave further guidance to expect cutting edge theater: “Don’t head to West Virginia for summer chestnuts; you’ll only find substantial new plays at this festival, which touts the designation ‘thinktheater 2017.'”
The festival, now a longstanding tradition, was a longshot for longevity when it began in 1991. Producing director Ed Herendeen started it on a $90,000 budget. By 2009, when an economic impact study was done, it was considered to have a $2.4 million impact.
The Contemporary American Theater Festival uses three locations around Shepherd University’s campus and encourages visitors to take in other sights, experiences and flavors around the Eastern Panhandle. More than 15,000 tickets were sold in 2016 to people from 37 states, DC, and other countries.
This summer’s lineup expanded to six productions from the traditional five: “The Niceties” by Eleanor Burgess. “Welcome to Fear City” by Kara Lee Corthron. “Wild Horses” by Allison Gregory. “Byhalia, Mississippi” by Evan Linder. “Everything is Wonderful” by Chelsea Marcantel. And “We Will Not Be Silent” by David Meyers.
In a review earlier this summer, The Washington Post called “The Niceties” the best of a fine bunch:
“The Niceties,’ performed with precision-guided authenticity by Margaret Ivey and Robin Walsh, as a relentless Ivy League student of color and the equally headstrong, liberal, white history professor whose pieties and prerogatives are systematically dismantled, is the best of a well-chosen cohort. They include a perceptive, character-rich drama about forgiveness in an Amish community, Chelsea Marcantel’s ‘Everything Is Wonderful;’ and Evan Linder’s ‘Byhalia, Mississippi,’ a conventional touchy-situation comedy elevated by strong seriocomic writing and Marc Masterson’s sterling direction.”
Such buzz strengthens the allure of the area’s other offerings, said Annette Gavin, executive director of the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Two different studies have shown that Jefferson County leads the state in the amount of money that visitors spend, Gavin said.
“That visitor spend talks about things like the destination of Harpers Ferry National Park, the Bavarian Inn, which is known world wide, and this Contemporary American Theater Festival, which is just one of the events that’s a perfect example,” she said.
“It’s that kind of thing that puts us above the rest.”
Proximity to theater-goers, diners and travelers in the Washington, D.C., area also helps, Gavin said.
“Our proximity to D.C. really makes us the unique experience. Plus it gives you that opportunity to leave that rush hour and enjoy our kind of rush, which is outdoor recreation, history and experiences like that. It’s an amazing area,” she said.
“With the number of assets we have and the proximity to a metropolitan area like we have, it makes us pretty unique. Once we get a visitor here, they’re coming back.”