Like a Sack of Potatoes – theSpace on the Mile
This ‘hillbilly gothic tale’, written and performed by Ric Siler, draws the audience into an Appalachian farmer’s world.
The space is small, intimate, with seating on two sides of the stage. A sign with a greengrocer’s apostrophe, ‘tomato’s for sale’, hangs on a wooden crate. The old farmer enters, in his checked shirt and worn-out jeans, and genially offers his homegrown wares to a member of the audience. He is polite, thoughtful, welcoming. His Appalachian accent, Siler’s own, has a gentle musicality and a stillness that makes you want to listen. He tells us that he grows pole beans, potatoes, tobacco, and tomatoes on his farm, and that he isn’t afraid of anything – except women, maybe. However, we learn that he is willing to do whatever it takes to...
