I mentioned that I was in a new show, but I haven’t written about it. So what better way to talk about it than on opening night! Sanders Family Christmas is the sequel to Smoke on the Mountain, the play we did in May ’06 and took to the Mississippi Theatre Festival in January ’07 and pretty much swept the awards. We have the entire competition cast back, except one (we miss you, Bruce) to reprise their roles. The “new guy” Drew has jumped right in and we are excited to open tonight.

We are doing 12 performances of the show and almost the entire run is sold out. There are some seats left, so if you want to come, call 662-323-6855 to reserve your seats. We run everyday except Monday starting today the 6th through the 16th. There are two shows each Saturday and only matinées on Sundays.

I enjoy playing Dennis and it has been great to be back with the rest of the Sanders family. I’ve had to work harder on the music this go around because it is more difficult and complex than the first show.

I struggled with playing Dennis during the initial run of Smoke on the Mountain. Many times I did not feel as connected to the character as I wanted to be. By the time we started rehearsing for the festival, I felt more at home being Dennis than I ever had. I’m glad to say that that feeling has carried over to the new show.

I think we have a great show on our hands and I can’t wait for audiences to see it. Y’all come now, ya hear?