On a quiet Sunday night in October of 1938 at Burton Mock's general store in Shallowford, NC. Burton and his teenage daughter, Ruthie, are discussing her future. She's convinced she can handle life outside the rural Shallowford, her father would like her to stay close. As the night progresses, a host of colorful locals arrive at the store, including science obsessed, 17 year old Lonny. The rest of the world is on the brink of war, but these folks are only interested in local gossip until they turn on the radio and learn that the Martians have invaded! It is the night of Orson Welles' history War of the Worlds radio drama! They fall hook, line and sinker for the broadcast and run out to do battle. Lonny and Ruthie must fend for themselves inside the store, and they discover a mutual passion for that which is unknown and each other....a community theatre classic that rings true with anyone who ever lived in a small town or had big dreams!
The Battle of Shallowford was first staged in an early version by The Acorn Project at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on September 8, 1989. The play was later workshopped by Carnegie-Mellon University's Showcase of New Plays in July 1990. It was subsequently produced in a premiere production by the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre on August 8, 1990.