All right, who doesn't have tickets? You need to get them quick, because this show, despite the three-weekend run, is selling out fast.

For the uninitiated, this is the third in the trilogy of slice of life stories about the Sanders family. In the first one, it is 1938. We learn that Burl and Vera are the heads of this family of gospel singers. Their oldest daughter June signs for the deaf with signs she has made up herself. Their twins, Denise and Dennis, are a bit of a handful, especially with Denise running off to Charlotte to audition for "Gone With the Wind". The black sheep, Uncle Stanley, has just returned to the family after five years of hard labor. They have descended upon Mount Pleasant Baptist and the preacher there, Pastor Oglethorpe, is trying to keep them from offending Miss Maude and Miss Myrtle, his largest benefactors.

That's the first show. The second one takes place a couple years later at Christmas. Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe is trying to work up the nerve to ask June to marry him, and Dennis is getting ready to head off to war. Stanley is hanging out with Gene Autry, having made it big in show biz.

Now here we are at the third one. Dennis is home from the war. Denise has had a set of twins. June is getting ready to have her own baby, and she and Mervin are getting ready to move to Texas.

The only cast members remaining from the first go-rounds are Mark and Patty, who play Vera and Stanley. I'll leave you to work out which is which. Oh, and cousin Laura is playing herself. The newcomers have filled the roles with their own particular flair, so come on out and support them. It's a funny yet touching show. You'll probably want to see it twice - once to watch June and her signs, and once to watch the rest of the show.

The show opens tomorrow, July 31st, and runs till August 17, with the usual Thursday-Friday-Saturday eight o'clock shows and Sunday 2:30 matinees. Call the box office at 704-788-2405 to get your reservations taken care of.

Also of interest: Village Fudge will be setting up shop in the lobby. You'll still be able to buy the usual fare of SunDrop and M and Ms from Liz, but Mr Village Fudge is going to have other candies and things, should your interest swing that way.

--The Deacon

Here we are at the final work call for "Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming". With the opening just days away (do you have your tickets yet?) we need to get a lot done tomorrow.

There was a setback with the set. The last show used some...interesting...paint methods that refuse to be covered by the three layers of paint, or the three layers of primer that we broke down and used. The set needs to be repainted. The floor and the ramp need to be painted. Chair rail must be hung, and so must a cross. Anyone with brilliant ideas for decorating the lobby would be welcome.

Another idea we had was that someone could take postcards around the neighborhood and speak to the locals about the fact that there's a Theatre sitting right in their backyard, a fact they might not be aware of. If you would like to do that, and avoid being covered in paint or sawdust, we're all for that too.

We look forward to seeing everyone bright and early tomorrow, ten o'clock Saturday morning.

--The Deacon

There was a very productive work call at the Theatre today. The set for "Sanders Family Homecoming" is up. It needs to be painted and finishing touches put on, but the walls are already up.

Downstairs in the basement, lots of organizing went on, with the cleaning of the large prop storage rooms, and some brief cleaning of the kitchen and Black Box. Countless scary bugs met their doom.

Next work call: painting the set and organizing the sound and light storage rooms. Who's interested? It's next Saturday!

--The Deacon

Hi, boys and girls! I've been gone on vacation for a while. You know how the summer breezes of Maui call to me. I'm back now, though, and have a few things to tell you about.

Right now, though, I'm sticking to the work call this Saturday. The set for "Sanders Family Homecoming" is going up this weekend, so if you own a drill, come lend a hand. There's also some cleaning and organization that need doing, so there's something for you non-drill-owning people out there.

That's all for now. More later.

--The Deacon

We talked about it. We joked about what it might be called. "The Revenge of June". "The Return of the June Bug". "When Christmas Trees Attack". But when they officially wrote the third installment of the saga of the Sanders family, they called it "The Homecoming".

We're gearing up to do another Sanders family show, and this time we need help. It's been a while since the last one and everyone's paths have led them  different places. Jim has gone to Seattle, John to England, Sloane got married and Chris was last seen under a toppled mountain of paperwork.

In other words, we're having auditions. The role of Burl has been filled, sources say. But we still need the twins, a Reverend Oglethorpe, Miss Maude and Miss Myrtle, and their...wait for it....gentlemen friends.

So should you be, oh, about 25 - 30, male or female, or possibly look like a little old lady who lives to donate to her church, you'll fit right in.

Should you fit the bill, come on out and audition on the ninth and tenth at seven in the annex building. Bring a little something to sing and we'll have you read from the script. Your best bet for something to sing would be something from church or something bluegrass, because this show is a little from column A and a little from column B.

See you there!

--The Deacon

Opening Thursday night in the Black Box: "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown". A handful of youth are putting this one on on our more intimate stage, and the bits I've heard have been appropriately Charlie Brown.

They are having a preview audience tonight, so if you were invited, be sure to go see it and tell your friends what a wonderful time you had.

This show starts at seven rather than the usual eight, so look out for that. Tickets are sold at the door and I do believe are only five dollars a pop, so this is a nice, inexpensive way to spend an evening.

--The Deacon

Here we are again. May fifth.

Still rolling.

--The Deacon

OK, folks. It's time to come back out to the Theatre. This is one you need to not miss. Now, I think you should come see every show at OCT, and bring your friends, but I feel that if you only come see one in the next year, it needs to be this one. 

This is "Cotton Patch Gospel", a story that has had many incarnations. It was written as a play, and then Harry Chapin came along and musicaled it up. It was, in fact, his last work before he died. I think it was a good note to go out on.

Originally written as a one-man show, it has also been done with a cast of thirty or so. This time around, eleven people bring it to life, an odd meeting in the middle. It seems to work, though. Mostly everyone plays several different roles. Think "Godspell", but with slightly more hippie-type music. (It is the story of Jesus, if Jesus lived thirty years ago in Georgia. I can't remember if I have mentioned this before and am too lazy to go back and look. It's not like it hurt you to read this extra couple of sentences anyway.)

The music in this is great. Beautiful harmonies, the lyrics are moving, the songs are silly, and the band is totally rocking it out bluegrass style.

Shows of a religious bent always do well around here, so don't think I'm telling you to come see this show because it's not selling well and we need to fill some seats. I'm saying this is a good show that you will enjoy seeing and you should kick yourself several times daily if you miss it.

The cast is ready, the jokes are well worked, the set is finished, the light bugs finally worked out. All they need is an audience.

--The Deacon

Well, we’re done with THAT one.

"Dearly Departed" had its final performance today. If you missed it, you missed a good one. We met some new and interesting people and I hope they come back again. So often when we meet new people, they are a mixed bag, and some people you can’t wait to see the back of. This cast was entirely keepers, though. And while not everyone who we started out with stuck around, somehow we stumbled to the finish line whole.

Taking the set apart was easy, and those who are looking ahead to next Saturday and the Night Of Tremendous Treasures put people to work doing a little extra cleaning and organizing. The shop is now in order, random junk that has been piling up has been hauled to the dumpster, and there is significantly less dirt lurking about.

The set had just barely been taken down when the guys were already snapping off lines for the next one to go up. The after-strike meeting wasn’t over before it was time for rehearsal for "Cotton Patch Gospel" to start. They’ve been rehearsing for some three weeks down in the Black Box and are now spreading their acting wings on the mainstage.

It’s funny. Normally there’s a little bit of downtime. There’s a pause in there, when one set comes down and it’s some time in the next week that the next show starts coming in, the actors just meeting and everyone getting to know one another. "Cotton Patch" comes with a ready-made group who want their set, dangit.

And while that’s going on, there is all the flurry and hubbub about getting ready for next Saturday - the food and the auctions and who is doing what and whatnot. Are you coming? There will be entertainment, tasty food, and fundraising. Prizes will be awarded for your musical knowledge and it promises to be a fun night all around.

By the way, do you like my new profile song? Harry Chapin did the music for "Cotton Patch Gospel" so I felt it fitting.

--The Deacon

There is one last weekend for you to go see "Dearly Departed". Go ahead and call the box office now, before reading this. You’ll be glad you did. 704-788-2405. I’ll wait.

...

All right. I sat in on the pickup rehearsal tonight. No lights, no costumes, not even the whole cast, but I can still see this is a funny show. If you only come for the three scenes in Act Two with Veda, Norval, Nadine and Clyde, you’ll be in for a treat.

This is the tale of how the patriarch of a southern family dies, and they spend the whole show trying to make funeral arrangements that will make everyone happy. I think what makes it so funny is that we all know these people. We all know the overzealously religious aunt, the wastrel sons, the wives that are either drama queens or the duct tape that holds the family together. Everyone’s mother has told them to "straighten up and fly right", haven’t they?

The cast seems to have meshed well. They were all cutting up and enjoying each other’s company during rehearsal, and taking interest in what they have all been doing during the week. I do enjoy seeing a cast that gets along. I think it comes across on stage a little, whether you snipe at each other or if you are happy with everyone.

Anyway, this is a good show, and seats are going quickly, but see if you can still get one. Several people have come to see the show multiple times, from what I hear. That’s got to mean something.

And the lobby decoration is a sight to behold.

--The Deacon