June Bug Center to present 'In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand'
Written and performed by Robert Bailey and directed by Billy Siegenfeld, "In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand" is a 65-minute solo performance where spirit visitations come alive to transcend time and space through storytelling and music.
An award-winning play is coming to the June Bug Center's Black Box Theater from 7-9 p.m., July 10-11. Written and performed by Robert Bailey and directed by Billy Siegenfeld, "In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand" is a 65-minute solo performance where spirit visitations come alive to transcend time and space through storytelling and music.
Bailey, a long-time actor who grew up in the Richmond suburbs, has been directing plays and teaching directing and acting at the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts for the past 16 years. He plays Reverend Brand, a fiery post-Civil War Appalachian preacher, "whose energetic storytelling interweaves multiple characters and traditional songs in a powerful testimony shaped by war, poverty, disease, and religious fervor. Brand grapples with the clash between his unyielding vision of moral fervor and the tragic consequences left in its wake, pulling audiences into an experience that is both haunting and illuminating in its relevance to today," the production's webpage reads.
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Siengenfeld, the play's director, is a musician and Professor of Theater in the School of Communication at Northwestern University in Illinois, and one of Bailey's oldest friends. They worked on the project for two and a half years, mostly over Zoom because of their geographical distance, Bailey said.
"It was from about the beginning of 2021 through 2023 before I started venturing out with small groups in my rehearsal space to show them what I was up to, and then one thing led to another over time."
Inspired by Henrik Ibsen's play "Brand," which was written in 1865, Bailey said the impetus for the play came from his interest in and research into the history and music of the post-Civil War period. In 2025 the play was awarded Best Solo Performance by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.
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Rev. Greg Batson of the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, gave this insightful testimonial: "Robert Bailey has created a soul-searching depiction of a man called to preach repentance to his neighbors while struggling to reconcile his own personal decisions before God. Bailey gives a masterful performance filled with the voices, spoken and sung, of 19th Century Appalachia. The transitions between characters are seamless, like a mountain stream over smooth stones, as Bailey brings to life each person's witness. "In Some Dark Valley" is one of those rare works that asks the difficult questions of life with unflinching honesty and emotion."
After presenting the play in venues around Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and near San Diego, Bailey knew that he wanted to take the production on the road. "I really wanted to travel with it and, in particular, find venues in the South," he said.
Bailey explained that a friend who had been helping with the project was visiting the area and scouted out artistic directors and venues. He visited a friend in Floyd and learned about the June Bug Center. "We got on a Zoom call with Joanne Woodward and Samantha Oty and talked about the piece," Bailey said. "A date opened up and we said, 'let's go for it.'"
Bailey will be coming to Floyd from two nights of performances in New York City. In early April, he presented the play at The White Bear Theatre in London, where critics there described it as "absolutely brilliant" and "a powerful piece of theatre" that "sends genuine chills through the audience."
As a solo performer, Bailey can travel light. "It's me and a couple of benches to sit on and jump up on. I bring my own costume and harmonica, and we're ready to go," he said.
The performance at the June Bug Center will be preceded by music from local musician Scott Ainsley, who is considered a master of American roots music. Ainsley is an acoustic blues guitarist, singer/songwriter and teaching artist who learned southern old-time ballads, Appalachian fiddle and banjo traditions from older traditional musicians.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.insomedarkvalley.org or www.junebugcenter.com.
