The Mary Draper Ingles Story

Considering the fact that two campus buildings – Ingles Hall and Draper Hall –honor this Southwest Virginia frontier heroine, it only seemed appropriate that the story would be dramatized by the Radford Theatre Community.

In 1922 M’Ledge Moffett helped co-write the Ingles Society dramatization of the Mary Draper Ingles Story. Ninety-three years later, the 2015 Playwriting class developed a script for the Mary Draper Ingles story as a series of vignettes. Then, two years later, in 2017, the Theatre Department partnered with The Long Way Home, Inc. to write and produce a new outdoor production of the Mary Draper Ingles Story. Three Radford University Theatre faculty members, Chair Carl Lefko, Professor Wesley Young, and Assistant Professor Molly Hood were integrally involved in the re-launch of an outdoor theatrical presentation of Mary’s story.

Chair Carl Lefko was Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors comprised of community leaders and university personnel, which brought the story of the frontier heroine's famous journey back to Radford. A report to the University’s Board of Visitors stated:

“Lefko served as technical advisor to the production. Assistant Professor Molly Hood is a member of the Board and served as director for the production. Professor Wesley Young co-wrote the script in collaboration with alumna and former Director of Advancement for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Kathleen Harshberger.”

The cast and production team involved eight current/former Radford University Theatre students as designers, stage managers and actors, and one adjunct faculty member in the cast. Both Young and Harshberger, as well as two RU students performing in the piece, appeared on WSLS Channel 10 to promote the project. The play, entitled Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story, opened in June in the sunken garden at Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast and ran the final Sunday of each month through September at Nesselrod Bed and Breakfast to sell-out crowds. “

In 2018, the second season of Walk to Freedom: The Mary Draper Ingles Story was again produced and performed at Nesselrod Wesley Young directed the production; Carl Lefko again lent his invaluable expertise as Technical Advisor. Faculty members Robyn Berg and Molly Hood played the two female leads and added their professional and acting talents to the roles. The cast was fleshed out with six RU students, including Megan Ward, Brandon Duncan, Ben Taylor, David Ratliff, and Jacob McNulty.

The Nesselrod venue was very beautiful, but it became increasingly problematic to continue producing the drama there. In 2019, the play was staged at Radford University, and fittingly, at a location on the banks of the New River, the very river that brought Mary home.

The City of Radford and Radford University continued serious discussions about building an amphitheater. At the end of the 2019 season, the producers decided to take a hiatus, in order to regroup. The decision was driven by the wish to wait until the City/University amphitheater plans took shape. This was a fortunate decision, given that the Covid 19 Pandemic was just around the corner in 2020, and would bring a halt to all theatrical production throughout the nation.

2017 marked 50 years of offering Children’s shows, and 2018 marked the Golden Anniversary (50 years) as a theatre department. In that same year, following three consecutive years of 25 plus new majors entering the program, the Department reached 90 majors for the first time.

In 2019 Professors Carl Lefko and Monica Weinzapfel retired. That summer, a celebration of their combined service of over 73 years was held at Kyle Hall. Alumni from across the decades traveled from all over the country to attend and to thank them, and to celebrate the dedicated tenure of these two well-loved professors.