''The Reach of Song'' is Georgia's state drama written by Tom DeTitta. It depicts life in the Appalachian Mountains between World War I and World War II and follows the life and death of

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-nominated writer

Byron Herbert Reece Byron Herbert Reece (September 14, 1917 – June 3, 1958) was an American poet and novelist. During his life, he published four volumes of poetry and two volumes of fiction. Reece wrote the words of his legacy in four lines: :''From chips and s ...

Background

The two-act play premiered in 1989 in the Anderson Music Hall at the

Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, which opened in 1978, is home to several popular events throughout the year including the Georgia Mountain Fair, Georgia Mountain Moonshine Cruiz-In, Georgia Mountain Fall Festival, Superstar concerts, and Georgia ...

Hiawassee Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The community's population was 880 at the 2010 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, ...

. In 1990, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

named it the state's official historic drama. The play was staged for two months each summer at the fairgrounds until it moved to the Clegg Fine Arts Building at Young Harris College in

Young Harris Young Loftin Gerdine Harris (1812 – April 28, 1894) was an American lawyer, businessman, politician, judge, and philanthropist. He is best known as the early benefactor of Young Harris College in the U.S. state of Georgia, after whom the schoo ...

for the 1995 season. The drama was performed at the college annually through the mid-2000s. The new venue was notable because Reece taught at the school and took his own life in his campus office in 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reach of Song, The American plays Plays based on actual events Plays set in the United States Plays set in Georgia (U.S. state) 1989 plays

Background

See also

References