Farm Arts Collective receives $20K from the National Endowment for the Arts, America 250

Farm Arts Collective has received is $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, America 250 to support the production of “Johnny Appleseed: An Historical Fantasia.”

The play is number seven in the Dream on the Farm series presented every summer on Willow Wisp Organic Farm. The original devised play is directed by Tannis Kowalchuk; text and music is by Melissa Bell, Mark Dunau and Doug Rogers. The play features actor-creators Jess Beveridge, Costanza Bugiani, Ginny Hack, Eva McCullough, Grady Parks, John Roth, Jim Sullivan and Kate Schroeder. Set painting and design is by Kit Sailer; foley is by Debra Thomas; puppet design and build is by Ace Thomas and Sue Currier, and lighting design is by Calvin Anderson.

About the production

‘Johnny Appleseed: An Historical Fantasia’ explores the life of John Chapman. Born in 1774, “Johnny Appleseed” went on to walk thousands of miles across America, planting apple orchards to sell to expanding pioneer towns across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

Farm Arts Collective explores the stories and historical accounts that have made Johnny Appleseed’s life legendary.

The performance premieres on Thursday, July 30 and will run for two weeks until August 9 (Thursdays to Sundays) on Willow Wisp Organic Farm, 38 Hickory Lane, Damascus, PA 18415

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities across the country for Americans to experience and participate in the arts while celebrating our nation’s history,” said Mary Anne Carter, senior advisor at the National Endowment for the Arts. “As we approach our country’s 250th anniversary, this is a moment to recognize the important role the arts continue to play in our lives, communities, and heritage.”

Artistic Director Tannis Kowalchuk says:

“When we look at history, sometimes we can see ourselves more clearly. Farm Arts Collective is taking full advantage of this opportunity provided by the NEA and America 250 to examine the history and myths of Johnny Appleseed, a quintessential American with many unique and even contradictory facets. We want to investigate how national stories can reveal what a culture strives toward or wants to believe about itself. And since” Dream on the Farm” is an environmentally themed series, we will look at this history through an ecological lens.”