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By Lynn J. Richardson
The sound of music is coming to the Bonnie Kate Theater in Elizabethton – literally. 
Beginning June 10 the historic theater located in downtown Elizabethton will host the Jonesborough Repertory Theatre and their biggest production of the year, The Sound of Music. 
The JRT will present 17 shows over three weekends, June 10-13, June 17-20, and June 24-27.
Later in the summer, July 2-4, the JRT will also bring their iconic 1940s USO Show to the Bonnie Kate for 8 performances. 
Director for The Sound of Music Diane Taveau says she is very excited to bring the show to the Bonnie Kate. 
The decision to do so is a story all of its own. 
“The road to the Bonnie Kate is an interesting tale,” Taveau said. “The short version is that when we came to the realization that the renovations at JRT were not going to be completed on time, we searched high and low for a theater that would come to our aid and allow us to do the show. 
“Only the Bonnie Kate came to our rescue and we realize that we couldn’t have asked for a better solution to our problem. We are truly blessed and thankful.”
The show will feature an unusually large cast and some great talent, Taveau says. 
“We have 29 cast members. The leads are Joe Gumina as Captain Von Trapp and Hollie Wright as Maria. 
“Joe has been with the production since 2019 and is the original Captain Von Trapp. He is a veteran of JRT and has appeared in many main stage productions including Guys and Dolls, Cinderella and Matilda. 
“Hollie Wright is joining the cast in the 3.5 version (as we have come to call it) and we couldn’t be more thrilled!” Taveau added. “She is also a veteran of JRT and has appeared as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and other main stage productions. She has returned recently to the Tri Cities after having attended AMDA in New York and we are blessed to have her join the cast.”
Taveau says she and the cast and production team are “thrilled” to be able to bring this production to the Bonnie Kate. 
“There are so many positives including introducing this show to a whole new audience that may not have made it over to Jonesborough,” Taveau said. 
“The thought that we would have to cancel after so much hard work had gone into it was just going to be heartbreaking. We knew that there was a place out there for us with the servant’s heart that we needed to be able to pull this off,” Taveau added.
“This production has literally “climbed every mountain” to get to this point and we are thrilled that the team at Bonnie Kate and the community of Elizabethton are joining us on our climb to the summit.
Tickets are now on sale for both shows online at jonesboroughtheatre.com