By Riley McCoy, The Register-Herald
The arts are at the heart of West Virginia, and no local attraction embodies that spirit better than the appropriately named Theatre West Virginia.
Coming in second on The Register-Herald’s 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards for Best Local Attraction, the theater troupe has been a staple in the local community for over 60 years. This is no consolation prize, however, as the recent category placement represents a lateral shift for how we think of the theater troupe, and our local art attractions as a community.
In 2020, as part of coronavirus relief packages, the New River Gorge was re-designated from a National River to a National Park and Preserve. This change alone had tremendous impacts on the type of attractions and landmarks that make Appalachia one of the premier destinations in all of the country.
“We are located inside of the New River Gorge National Park, so when the New River got that designation, I think that helped boost the tourists absolutely in West Virginia,” said Steven New, former president of Theatre West Virginia and current board member on its executive committee. “And so we were able to show the state government, not only are we an arts organization, but we’re also part of the tourism picture.”
The lateral move from an entertainment venue to a full-on tourist attraction represents the growing desire for authentic, passionate and artistic entertainment that is occurring culturally all across the country.
Feature image cutline: Nathan Dunn, technical director, sets a post of a prop of a cabin used in Theatre West Virginia’s performance of “Hatfields & McCoys” at Cliffsde Ampitheatre at Grandview in New River Gorge National Park. File photo by Rick Barbero, The Register-Herald.
