Carroll County Historical Society To Produce Play about the Courthouse Shootout of 1912 in Hillsville, VA. See article from Galax Gazette. The story involves the Allen family.

By Christopher Brooke, Reporter - Galax Gazette CANA, VA — Producers of the original play written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1912 courthouse shootout in Hillsville will soon begin rounding up actors to portray members of the Allen family, court and county officials and others affected by the violent incident that left five dead and led to the execution of two. Playwright Frank Levering said the play sponsored by the Carroll County Historical Society and produced by his Cherry Orchard Theater will begin casting the 20 roles needed at auditions Jan. 16 at the Mount Airy, N.C., Public Library at 7 p.m. He hopes to follow that with another casting session in Hillsville at the courthouse the next day, but that date hasn’t been confirmed yet. “I’m counting on local folks to be actors in the play,� he said. “My feeling is it should involve folks from the area, you know, since it’s our story.� Rehearsing for the play with the working title “Thunder in the Hills� will commence in January with small groups of actors. Practices will intensify as the centennial approaches in March. Levering has structured the dramatization to cover the fateful cornshucking event held in 1910, where it’s said Allen family member Wesley Edwards set off a chain of unfortunate events during an innocent game by finding a red ear of corn, entitling him to a kiss from a girl of his choice. The kiss led to a fight between two Edwards brothers and the girl’s angry boyfriend and his supporters and resulted in charges for the Allen family members. The arrest of the Edwards boys led to their uncle Floyd Allen stopping the deputies who captured them on the road and setting the young men free. For this, Floyd stood trial in Carroll County court. The shootout followed when Floyd spoke up in court after hearing his jail sentence. He said he would not serve. Agitated county officials and Allen family members then opened fire on each other in the crowded courtroom, though it remains uncertain who fired first. The arc of the play includes the scene of the shootout and continues through the trials of doomed Floyd and Claude Allen to the prison and the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond in 1913. “It’s a much bigger story than that,� Levering explained, who’s fielded many questions from people curious if the shootout would be included in the play. “We’re trying to be fair to everybody that was involved and try to take into account how everybody involved felt and what they experienced to the degree that we can.� Taking into account the five people killed in the shootout, the two executed, those wounded and numbers of grieving widows, children and families broken by the incident, Levering considered the play a “tragedy on an epic scale.� “This basic fact of this is a lot of people died unnecessarily, and that’s a tragic thing when that happens,� Levering said. The play with its several scenes in and outside Carroll County and the courtroom and its 20 or so characters presents some challenges for the producers, he said. Being performed in the same courtroom where the shootout took place is one of the challenges for the production. Levering hopes he’s been up to the task of dramatizing the events surrounding the incident in a two-hour play. It does involve some creative solutions to move the tale along, he said. For example, there’s no written record of the thoughts or actions of any of the shootout participants the night before Floyd’s sentencing in court, but Levering expects a lot went on that night and feels it’s necessary to include what may have been said or done. As the author, Levering has tried to review the histories and talk to historians and others to figure out what the likely experiences of those involved. It’s going to be his interpretation, but that’s why this is a dramatic play instead of a history of the shootout. The result has been what Levering considers a fairly cinematic and fast-paced drama that still relates what the characters were probably feeling and thinking. There’s been a tendency for people to take sides when the topic of the shootout arises, but Levering believes that it would be a positive if the play led to more discussion and consideration of the events of 1912. “I like the fact that we’re not running away from the shootout,� he said. Performances of the play will take place during three weekends in March: the 9th through the 11th; the 16th through the 18th; and the 23rd through the 25th. Levering encourages anyone with an interest in acting to try out for the production. There are about as many parts for women as men, he noted. The Courthouse Tragedy Centennial Committee continues to organize many talks by historians, professors and authors about topics like upholding “Southern honor,� the prevalence of guns at the time, music relating to shootout, graveside observances of those who died and more.