Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn is opening their first original
production tomorrow evening, “Keeping Dixie”, a drama
by Tammy Waldrop. This thought-provoking tale of outward appearance
and inner beauty draws its inspiration from Waldrop’s own
personal experiences. Waldrop submitted her play to the Guild
and kept a close eye on the theatre’s website as the list
of scripts was whittled down to just one title, “Keeping
Dixie.” It’s a unlikely dream come true for the local
author. Chosen against a list of known and not so known plays,
Southside is breaking the mold with “Dixie” and Waldrop
and company hope that their audiences will be pleasantly surprised.
This is actually Waldrop’s second foray into the world
of playwriting. Along with her son, Joey, who is a drama student
at the University of Georgia, Waldrop wrote a dinner theatre
murder mystery performed at the Central Education Center in Newnan.
The show was a benefit for the American Business Womens’ Association
Scholarship Fund. The one night event was positive enough to
give Waldrop the inspiration to try her hand at something heavier.
Enter a two act drama, spun from the elements of an unfinished
short story written years earlier. It concerns Dixie, a mentally
challenged mother and her son David, a bright high school student
who is searching for his father and gets a lesson in reality.
David is being played by Michael Boylan, who starred as George
Bailey in Southside’s holiday production of, “It’s
a Wonderful Life.” Joey Waldrop, Tammy’s son, plays
David’s best friend, Mason. Dixie is played by Ann Mitchell.
Dixie’s mother and father, Agnes and James are played by
Merci Howe and Doug Searcy. Other cast members include Rebecca
Kling as Kelly, Shirley Rogers as Jessie, Keith Williams as Brent,
and Nancy Norris as Judith. The production is directed by Heather
May.
The show opens July 15 and runs through July 31. Performances
are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. The opening
night performance will be followed by a reception where the audience
will have a chance to mingle with the cast and playwright. Come
and support the efforts of local talent, both on and off stage.
Reservations are still being taken at 770-969-0956. Tickets are
$12 for adults and $10 for children. All tickets are $10 on Thursday
night. Visit www.stgplays.com to see more about upcoming shows
at Fairburn’s Southside Theatre Guild.
