In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand

Moving Arts Presents In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand, a highly acclaimed solo performance for theatre, written and performed by Robert Bailey, directed by Billy Siegenfeld.

One moonlit night, Reverend Brand, a fiery 19th century circuit preacher, emerges from the shadowy mountains of Appalachia and our collective history to weave a tale of religious fervor set against a landscape scarred by war, poverty and disease… a story that also shines a light on rare moments of tender and resilient redemption. Robert Bailey’s solo performance grapples with the inevitable clash between an unyielding vision of moral rectitude and the tragic personal destruction it leaves in its wake. Embodying multiple characters while also singing gorgeous traditional songs handed down through generations of Southerners, Bailey transports the audience to a land and era that is haunting and illuminating in its relevance to today.

The first of seven performances begins August 16th at Moving Arts in Atwater Village and will continue through September 7th with shows Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 4 PM (No Show Sunday, August 31st). Find ticketing information on the Moving Arts Website Link.

In Some Dark Valley premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024 where it won the Best of the Fringe TVO Award and the 2024 LA Gem Award for Outstanding Dramatic Performer (male). Bailey has performed the 65-minute show in Santa Cruz, San Diego and at Pacific Resident Theatre. This August his journey continues as a morally challenged circuit preacher from 1870’s Appalachia. Traditional songs of the type passed down through generations play a crucial role in the performance and are, in many ways, its catalyst.

Robert Bailey - Writer/Performer
Robert Bailey was awarded a Samuel Arnold Fellowship upon graduation from Brown University to work with renowned theatrical innovator Jerzy Grotowski at the Polish Laboratory Theatre in Wroclaw. He subsequently became a founding member, actor, director and teacher at the Washington Theatre Laboratory. After relocating to New York, he was associated with Circle Repertory Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, American Place Theatre, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Actors Studio, often working on first productions of new plays and garnering praise from the New York Times and the Village Voice.

In Los Angeles, he earned critical acclaim for his direction of John Bishop’s Borderline (winner of six DramaLogue Awards), Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of The Turn of the Screw, Eugene O’Neill’s A Touch of the Poet and Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero; and for his performances as an actor in Frank Wedekind’s Lulu, J.T. Rogers’ Madagascar, David Rabe’s A Question of Mercy, and Charles L. Mee’s Big Love. Robert Bailey has been on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts since 2010.

Billy Siegenfeld - Director
Director Billy Siegenfeld is the founder, artistic director, writer, choreographer, and musical arranger of the theatre company Jump Rhythm®; a Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University; an author of essays, plays, and a forthcoming book titled How to Make Gravity Our New Best Friend by Standing Down (Not Up!) Straight.

His creative work and teaching focus on building speech, song, and rhythm-charged movement out of gravity-directed relaxation, guided by his invention, the scientifically-fact-based holistic concept Standing Down Straight® (SDS). His two-character play with song and dance, Fortitude or and Gentleness, premiered at the Mark O’Donnell Theater in New York City in 2023. It now tours in the United States and abroad, accompanied by workshops in SDS.

He received a B.A. in literature from Brown University and an M.A in writing about jazz music and dance from New York University’s Gallatin Division. He received an Emmy® Award for his choreography and performance in the documentary, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There. He acted, danced, and sang in off-off-off-Broadway shows as well as in the Broadway production of Singin’ in the Rain. www.jumprhythm.org

Moving Arts
Moving Arts is committed to creating, producing and promoting adventurous theatrical new work by diverse Los Angeles artists for diverse audiences.
Founded by Lee Wochner and Julie Briggs in 1992, Moving Arts has produced many world, national, West Coast, and Los Angeles premieres. They began as a 22-seat venue in the Silver Lake area and quickly grew to become a resident artist company that includes actors, directors, producers, designers, and playwrights.

Since 1992, Moving Arts has continuously produced adventurous new plays in a variety of venues across Los Angeles, ranging from traditional theatres such as [Inside] the Ford in Hollywood and the Los Angeles Theatre Center, downtown to non-traditional spaces such as the Natural History Museum and the parking lot across from Disney Hall, showing a remarkable versatility and commitment to the craft of theatre.

Moving Arts is located at 3191 Casitas Ave Los Angeles, CA 90039 - 7 Performances | August 16 - Sept 7, 2025

8 Performances | August 16 - Sept 20, 2025

Saturday, August 16, 2025 8:00 PM

Sunday, August 17, 2025 4:00 PM

Saturday, August 23, 2025 8:00 PM

Sunday, August 24, 2025 4:00 PM

HIATUS

Friday, September 12, 2025 8:00 PM

Saturday, September 13, 2025 8:00 PM

Friday, September 19, 2025 8:00 PM

Saturday, September 20, 2025 8:00 PM