The Lord Nelson Players, a local Richmond theatre troup, made their debut with Ghosts on August 9 and 10, 2013, a brand new play part of the Three-Penny Theatre summer season.
Ghosts is a series of one-acts, scenes and staged readings adapted from the music, short stories and poetry of Richmond artists Gene and Gayla Mills, Jim Noonan and Carlie Pendleton. The Lord Nelson Players (Lisa Carter, Derek B. Gayle, Cassie Morgan, and Tommy Proffitt III) wrote, directed, and even acted in the original production of the show, which explores the everyday ghosts that haunt us all—memory, history, family, and even art itself.
From a story about embracing nostalgia, to a comedy about being stuck in the past, to a tearjerker about losing memory of the past, this range of tales ought to capture any audience member’s delight. The show featured live music by Gene and Gayla Mills, and the works that inspired the play were sold on-site.
Starring: Leigh Bartlett, Lisa Carter, Ray Carver, Mason Ferguson, Derek B. Gayle, Anthony Keitt, Justin Knapp, Jonathan LeBolt, Gene Mills, Gayla Mills, Cassie Morgan, Carlie Pendleton, and Tommy Proffitt III.
Production Crew: Lorrie Carver, Emily Rundle.
ABOUT THE LORD NELSON PLAYERS
Lisa Carter, Derek B. Gayle, Cassie Morgan and Tommy Proffitt III, natives of Caroline County, VA, founded The Lord Nelson Players theatre troupe in 2013. All four were heavily involved in their high school theatre department as students under director Ray Carver, where they learned the importance of character-based minimalist theatre. Continuing this theatre education through similarly small college theatre departments, the group has since taken to Richmond’s stages. They are thankful that The Gayton Kirk and the dedicated cast and crew have worked so hard to help them pilot their very first production with such creative freedom. And just like Lord Nelson himself said at the Battle of Trafalgar, they expect “every man to do his duty” when it comes to the production. Thankfully, the dedicated and gung-ho individuals involved lived up to the call for Ghosts.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Gene & Gayla Mills play acoustic Americana—modern folk tinged with bluegrass and country. They offer “some of the best organic music you could hope to come across,” (Chris Specter, Midwest Record). Gene’s songs tell rich stories, many based on real people from Virginia—miners, farmers, lovers, and soldiers. He has won over a dozen country and folk songwriting awards, and their CD “If Stones Could Talk” reached number five on the Folk chart. Visit their website!
Jim Noonan studied creative writing at SUNY Binghamton, haunted by the ghost of John Gardner. His stories come to him like vapor coalescing—magically, of their own volition. He has learned to be still and listen. Jim’s short fiction can be found on the Internet and on scraps of paper strewn about his office. Many thanks to Derek B. Gayle for his poignant adaptation of “Purple Silhouettes.”
Carlie Pendleton is a recent graduate of Randolph-Macon College. The majority of her poetry, with its laborious, esoteric references, is based off of her everyday struggle to work and care for her disabled mother. She says if she can reach or inspire just one person with what she creates, that’s both the role of art and worth everything. Her poetry collection, Poetry Thus Far: A Girl on the Verge, available for purchase on Amazon.
Below is the original trailer and gallery of promotional photos from the production.
3pennyplays.org 
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