Cotton Hall Theater presents original Christmas production

COLQUITT – The halls of Cotton Hall are decked with Christmas cheer for the latest production, “Christmas Eve at the Doublestack Diner.”

The production, which features a cast of 18 local performers, is nearly sold out, but theater officials hope to fill every remaining seat.

“Christmas is such a special time for us, and something about our Christmas show just feels extra special,” playwright Will Murdock said. “This show is about a group of folks snowed in at a small diner on their way home from Christmas, and it feels a lot like the beginning of this year when the snowfall in southwest Georgia reminded us to slow down and look at the beauty around us. 

“I think the snow in the play does the same thing … makes people look at the person across the table from them in a whole new light.”

One of the challenges the production faced was figuring out how to make an actual working diner on stage. The magic of theater can go a long way, but artificial foods can be boring, expensive, and obvious, so the waffles you’ll see on stage will be cooked in real time. The bacon on the other hand … might be slight-of-hand. Real food means real messes, and the cast contains only one waitress and two cooks who have to juggle the whole thing. The actors aren’t daunted, however, even though a few waffles have been delivered to the wrong table in rehearsal.

“I’m so excited to get to see the audience experience the nostalgia of retro diner days all mixed up with the current lingo and events.,” cast member Layne Edwards, who plays the waitress Cricket, said. “The show is such a great compilation of traditional, magical Christmas notions combined with the hiccups we face during the busy holiday season. I’m looking forward to seeing all the smiles, hearing all the laughter and listening to our audience reminisce about their favorite Christmas memories.”

This is the premiere production of “Christmas Eve at the Doublestack Diner” at Cotton Hall in Colquitt. The show will run Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13, with Friday shows at 7 p.m. and Saturday performances at 2 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

Tickets are $22 and available online at www.swampgravy.com or by calling the Box Office at (229) 758-5450.