The Aracoma Story, Inc. has announced that local personality Bill France, a.k.a. “DJ Bill France,” has been hired to direct The Aracoma Story Outdoor Drama this summer at The Liz Spurlock Amphitheatre in Chief Logan State Park.

According to a press release issued yesterday by The Aracoma Story President Jim Frye, France is a veteran of The Aracoma Story stage and has performed in several plays over the years. He was the youngest actor to ever portray the role of Boling Baker, a role he played several times.

France has directed and performed in shows at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, as well as performed in shows while studying at Marshall University.

France studied journalism and theater at Marshall, where he received his undergraduate degree.

France said he plans to graduate this coming May from West Virginia University with a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies. France most recently directed Dracula at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in 2008.

“The Aracoma Story has been produced for 34 consecutive years because it is loved by many people in our community. For it to be successful and continue on for many more years, we must rekindle interest in the show. That is why we are making changes to the telling of the story,” Frye said in the release.

“We plan to create excitement and captivate a new audience, as well as entertain the faithful who attend year after year. The audience will see some new characters as we tell the story in a whole new way. Only the telling of the story will change, the story of Princess Aracoma is historic and will be preserved.”

France has plans to bring many new ideas to West Virginia’s longest running outdoor drama.

“You may have seen this show before but you’ve never seen it this way,” France said. “If you’ve never been to the Aracoma Story, this is the year to check it out. There’s already buzz about this new revitalized version of the classic tale.”

France has already begun a recruiting campaign to get people involved. There are roles for children, teenagers, adults, and seniors, as well as two infants. Several men are needed to portray the many historic figures that are involved in the story. The show offers both speaking and non-speaking roles.

“We wanted to start recruiting early so people could plan their vacation around the show dates,” France said.

The Aracoma Story will run the last two weeks of July and the first week of August. France is planning on stress free rehearsals.

“You will only need to be there when you are rehearsing. I don’t intend to waste anyone’s time,” France said.

“A rehearsal schedule will be posted with some of the larger roles needing more rehearsal time than other roles. If you would like to add your name to the list and receive the latest updates and information, you can email Bill France at aracoma2009@yahoo.com. Include your name, age, phone number and email address.”

Show dates for The Aracoma Story are Tuesday, July 21 through Saturday, August 8, at the Liz Spurlock Amphitheatre in Chief Logan State Park. Performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 8:30 p.m. nightly.

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For more information, visit The Aracoma Story Inc., Web site at www.thearacomastory.com, or to order tickets by phone call 752-0253.