Nellie McCaslin, Ph.D., featured the Jack Tale Players in her book A Historical Guide to Children’s Theatre.  McCaslin evaluated the troupe, saying:

     "An example of an innovative and highly imaginative program is the one developed at Ferrum College in southwest Virginia. Rex Stephenson began work with a group of students and a personal interest in the local folklore known as the 'Jack Tales.' These stories from the Blue Ridge Mountains, which had been handed down in the oral tradition, appealed to Stephenson as having dramatic possibilities."