Deera’s Country Funeral

Thursday, February 13th, 7:30pm at Barter's Smith Theatre

Ray Sally wants to have a funeral for his tractor. The old machine has played Santa’s sleigh in many a Christmas Parade, helped rescue folks during a flood, hard-worked too many harvests to count and she even met the Governor once. But this farmer can’t find parts anymore and it’s time for her to meet her maker. Troubled by his inability to keep her running and drowning in his grief, Ray Sally wishes he was the one on the short road to the great beyond. Questions about destiny, the role our communities play in holding us up and the measure of a useful life are themes in this humble dark comedy about a legendary tractor.

Written by: Ned Dougherty

Ned Dougherty is an award-winning teacher and playwright who was named a 2024 semifinalist for the O’Neill. His work has been staged for festivals or independent productions from Albuquerque to Ireland. He’s a two-time Fund For Teachers fellow, the 2015 Teacher of the Year for New Mexico Charter Schools and has facilitated writing workshops for conferences and students across the country. He created the Appalachian Ode Project which brings free community writing workshops to foster improved population retention and ignite new artistic forms of civic rejuvenation. He teaches middle and high school students navigating the juvenile justice system in Pocahontas County, WV where he lives with his family.