Swamp Gravy takes audience to 'Way Back When' as new show opens at Colquitt theater
Feb. 25—COLQUITT — You can hear it in the creak of your grandma's rocking chair. You can see it in the scratches on a hardwood floor. You can feel it in the warmth of a quilt passed down from one generation to the next ... all the life and memories that came before us.
That's the feeling you're sure to leave with after watching "Way Back When," the brand-new edition of Georgia's Official Folk-Life Play, Swamp Gravy, opening this weekend in Colquitt. Telling stories of things passed down, first dates gone wrong, slumber party disasters, and the memories that we leave behind on the way, "Way Back When" is a romp of a play that will have you laughing and touch your heart.
The new show opens at Cotton Hall on Friday, with performances at 7 p.m. each Friday and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. each Saturday through March 25.
The new play features seven new songs written just for the production including "Wasted on the Young," "Date with Disaster" and "Tugging at Threads."
"This year's music is some of my favorite," Artistic Director Will Murdock said. "All the songwriters are so different, and it comes across in the songs they create. It's given such a wonderful heartbeat to the play. The music helps finish the stories. It's so cool to see how that puzzle piece changes things."
The music isn't the only puzzle piece that changes things. As rehearsals draw to a close, costumes, props, and lighting will add layer after layer of new depth and challenges for the cast. This year's cast of Swampers is the biggest group Swamp Gravy has seen in several years.
"We have had so many new cast members join us this year, and the most wonderful surprise of having a few of the original cast members come back to join us," Murdock said, "It's really the cast that teaches each other how to do the play. I just get to watch and help where I can."
The show's matinees have sold out, but show tickets are available for $22 each or $20 for groups of 20 or more. Tickets are available at the theater, online at www.swampgravy.com or by calling (229) 758-5450.
