Lees-McRae Summer Theatre
Get ready for a season of musicals! For more than three decades, Lees-McRae Summer Theatre has been providing high quality, professional theatre to the community and summer visitors of the area. Referred to as the “Gem of the High Country,” the company produces a variety of theatre, but specializes in musicals—Golden Age classics to the newest Broadway hits, and even original works. Each summer the productions are brought to life by the hard work of a 150+ member company who join us in the mountains from all over the country to share their talents.
2023 Season
Online ticket orders available April 20
Box Office open for in-person sales June 14–July 29
The [W]right Sister
7 p.m. Shows: July 25, 26, 27, 28
2 p.m. Shows: July 23, 29
Directed by Janet Barton Speer
If you hear the “Wright Brothers,” your mind travels easily to Wilbur and Orville, who in 1903 went from simple bicycle shop owners to the famous inventors of heavier-than-air flight. But while the Wright Brothers had their heads in the clouds, there was one person on the ground working to help them soar—their sister, Katharine. The [W]right Sister brings Katharine’s forgotten story to life in a beautiful new musical that spans decades—from their childhood and work in the Dayton, Ohio bicycle shop, to her nursing skills that saved Orville’s life more than once, to her ability to charm heads of state, kings, and presidents while her brothers struggled to even greet them.
Janet Speer, with John Thomas and Tommy Oaks—the creative trio who brought the hit musicals America’s Artist: The Norman Rockwell Story, From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story, and The Denim King: The Moses Cone Story to our stage—found the life of Katharine Wright to be a compelling subject for their next musical. With a captivating story and beautiful original music, The [W]right Sister proves how strong a sister’s love and sacrifices can be, even during the most difficult of times.