Triad Stage

White Lightning

Showtimes

2019
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Sun, Jan 277:30pm
Jan 28
Tue, Jan 297:30pm
Wed, Jan 307:30pm
Thu, Jan 317:30pm
Fri, Feb 18:00pm
Sat, Feb 28:00pm
Sun, Feb 32:00pm7:30pm
Feb 4
Tue, Feb 57:30pm
Wed, Feb 67:30pm
Thu, Feb 77:30pm
Fri, Feb 88:00pm
Sat, Feb 92:00pm8:00pm
Sun, Feb 102:00pm7:30pm
Feb 11
Tue, Feb 127:30pm
Wed, Feb 137:30pm
Thu, Feb 147:30pm
Fri, Feb 158:00pm
Sat, Feb 168:00pm
Sun, Feb 172:00pm
Feb 18
Feb 19
Feb 20
Feb 21
Feb 22
Feb 23

About

White Lightning

By Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder

Race down red dirt roads through an Alabama night of fast cars and moonshine. A young veteran with a checkered past and ’39 Ford makes a name for himself outrunning the law. But love and NASCAR show him another road. Strap in, put the pedal to the metal and head straight into adventure and romance.

Presented in partnership with Victory Junction

From the Artistic Director:
My first car only had an AM radio and the country music sometimes gave way to a NASCAR race. I loved when my rides were filled with exploits of some of the greatest drivers in history.  Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress thrilled me with their driving and daring.  NASCAR, with its roots in moonshine running, is so much a part of our region and telling its story is a real representation of A Southern Voice, one of our core values, brought to life on stage. 
 

PAST EVENTS

First Rehearsal
Wednesday, January 2 @ 12 pm
Victory Junction, 4500 Adams Way, Randleman
Join us to meet the cast and creative team, enjoy refreshments, and tour Victory Junction!

Book Club: The Moonshine War by Elmore Leonard
Thursday, January 10 @ 6:00 pm
Benjamin Branch Library // Facebook event

Technically Talking
Tuesday, January 29 @ approx. 9:30 pm (immediately following 7:30 pm show)
A behind-the-scenes conversation with our director and designers. // Facebook event

InSight
Sunday, February 3 @ approx. 4:30 pm (immediately following 2 pm show)

PreText
Wednesday, February 6 @ 7:00 pm
A pre-show conversation that offers context and ways to connect to the show's thematic elements. // Facebook event

PostScript
Thursday, February 7 @ approx. 9:30 pm (immediately following 7:30 pm show)
A free-wheeling discussion with the cast following the show. // Facebook event

Wine Tasting
Friday, February 8 @ 7:00 pm
Enjoy a treat for your palate before the show. // Facebook event

Audio-Described and ASL-Interpreted Performance
Satuday, February 9 @ 2:00 p.m.
Take advantage of our free accessibility programs!

Storytelling Night | Theme: Southern stories
Monday, February 11 @ 7:00 pm 
UpStage Cabaret
Storytellers and audience members join us for an evening of stories inspired by themes from our MainStage! // Facebook event

Book Club: Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown
Wednesday, February 13 @ 6:00 pm
Scuppernong Books // Facebook even

View Playbill

View Dramaturgy

“The cast was perfect!”

Audience Member

Creative Team

Director
Sarah Hankins
Scenic Designer
Natalie Taylor Hart
Costume Designer
Deborah Bell
Lighting Designer
Amanda Valdez
Sound Designer
Maria F. Württele
Resident Movement Coach
Denise Gabriel
Resident Vocal Coach
Christine Morris
Stage Manager
Terence Orleans Alexander

Photos White Lightning

Videos White Lightning

News & Reviews White Lightning

Reviews:

Triad Stage presents ‘White Lightning’
Yes! Weekly
February 6, 2019

I was raised in Mooresville, North Carolina, aka “Race City, USA,” so when I heard that Triad Stage was going to show Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s “White Lightning” I was curious to see how the theatre would represent this aspect of Southern culture. My family grew up fixing cars and going to NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But I hated the races. I hated NASCAR. I hated Race City, USA. 

Read the review

Reviews:

Theater review: Triad Stage presents 'White Lightning'
News & Record
February 3, 2019

When discussions were in progress for the 2018-19 Triad Stage season, founding artistic director Preston Lane realized there was something missing from the lineup: a distinctly Southern play.

Read the review

News:

Triad Stage will present 'White Lightning'
News & Record
January 24, 2019

Triad Stage’s core mission includes telling North Carolina and Southern stories. And there is nothing more deeply rooted in the Tar Heel State than moonshine and stock car racing.

Read the story

News:

‘White Lightning’ roars onto Triad Stage
Yes! Weekly
January 23, 2019

Shortly after my first article appeared in YES! Weekly, my landlord said something about its subject I’d never known. “When I was a boy in the ‘50s,” he told me, “parked cars were lined up half a mile down Holden Road every Saturday night, with folks driving in from out of state and knocking on your Uncle Olan’s door to buy his moonshine.”

Read the story

Podcasts:

Lights Up | WHUP
WHUP
January 23, 2019

Lights Up! host Wayne Leonard is joined by White Lightning dramaturg Virginia Hirsch and scenic designer Natalie Taylor Hart, as well as Triad Stage Founding Managing Director Rich Whittington. Segment begins at the 38:18 mark and ends at 59:44.

Hear the podcast

News:

Rev the Engines For Triad Stage’s White Lightning
Front Mezz Junkies
January 15, 2019

Sarah Hankins is an anomaly. At times it seems that her effusive warmth could have no place against the backdrop of the demands of a director juggling the responsibility of shepherding actors through rehearsal. But the major trick up Hankins’ sleeve is her razor sharp determination to integrate. 

Read the story