FAITH, FLIGHT, AND THE FIGHT TO ENDURE

In our current state of political unrest — with government shutdowns and widespread uncertainty about how to make ends meet — stories about the power of the human spirit feel especially vital. Z Space and Word for Word Theatre Company present Hard Times: Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash, a trio of tales set in rural North Carolina that explore poverty, survival, family loyalty, and the tension between tradition and change. True to the company’s mission, every word of Rash’s prose is performed — dialogue, narration, even the descriptive passages — giving the audience the rare experience of seeing literature come to life, line for line.

 John Flanagan as Larry Rudisell and Molly Benson as his ex-wife, Tracy
in The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth

In “The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth,” a small congregation of Baptists struggles to sustain their faith by staging a reenactment of the Crucifixion. What begins as a pious act turns into comic calamity when one parishioner — part charlatan, part con man — talks the others into going along with his harebrained idea. John Flanagan is terrific as Larry, the slick-talking used car salesman determined to turn salvation into a sales pitch, while Molly Rebekka Benon nails every sharp-eyed reaction as his jaded ex-wife, Tracy, who can see his foolishness coming a mile away. These are simple, good-hearted people trying desperately to stay on the right path, always scanning the heavens for a sign from above.

Ryan Tasker, John Flanagan, Paul Finocchiaro in The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth

Nancy Shelby as Pearl and Carla Gallardo as Lulubelle
in The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth

“Sad Man in the Sky” shifts tone but keeps its emotional footing. Paul Finocchiaro plays a small-town pilot who agrees to help a melancholy stranger (Joel Mullennix) drop presents from his plane to delight two children below. What sounds whimsical becomes quietly haunting, a meditation on regret, longing, and the ways people reach for redemption, even at great heights.

Paul Finocchiaro and Joel Mullennix in "Sad Man in the Sky"

Finally comes “Hard Times,” the title story and the most wrenching of the three. Set during the Depression, it centers on Jacob (Ryan Tasker) and his wife Edna (Delia MacDougall), who are barely surviving on their farm when they discover someone has been stealing eggs from their henhouse. They suspect their destitute neighbors, the Hartleys (Mullennix, Nancy Shelby, and Carla Gallardo), whose desperation mirrors their own. MacDougall’s bitter, weary Edna and Tasker’s hollow-eyed Jacob embody lives stripped to the bone. Callie Floor‘s costumes make the cast look gaunt and threadbare, as if the Joads themselves had wandered in from The Grapes of Wrath. Compared to these families, whose day-to-day suffering is palpable, The Waltons seem downright wealthy.

 Paul Finocchiaro and Ryan Tasker as Jacob and his daddy in Hard Times

All three stories are powerfully acted and deeply human. We laugh at the foolishness, ache for the hardship, and recognize the endurance that keeps these characters alive. Jacqueline Scott‘s spare set of rough-hewn wooden chairs perfectly reflects the scarcity within the stories, while directors Amy Kossow and Jim Cave give each actor space to reveal layers of vulnerability and grit. The comedic chaos of “The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth” pulls us in with laughter, but by the time we reach the final, gut-wrenching tale, we’re fully invested in these people and their fight to keep faith and dignity intact. They may live in hard times, but none are victims. These are stories of resilience, of strong spirits whose voices echo across generations.

Delia MacDougall as Edna in "Hard Times"

photos by Robbie Sweeny and Jessica Palopoli

Hard Times: Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash
Word for Word & Z Space
Z Below, 470 Florida St.
Wed & Thurs at 7; Fri & Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on November 2, 2025
for tickets ($45-$70), visit Z Space

John Flanagan as Larry Rudisell hearing the voice of God
in The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth