Southside Theatre Guild in Fairburn is opening their first original

production tomorrow evening, "Keeping Dixie", a drama

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.

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