EAC brings holiday theater back to town

By Deanna Ryan

What happens when Santa’s elves go on strike and the Oompa Loompas are sent in to replace them? How can a town release themselves from the grip of always wanting more during the Christmas season? Will global warming ever let Texas have a white Christmas? Emanuel Arts Council theater director Ron Ellison’s selection of Christmas shorts by Don Zolidis use a bit of Seussian rhyme, fundamentalist scientific logic, and singing Oompa Loompas to answers to all three questions. And last week, on December 16th and 17th, local performers from East Georgia State College and around the community came together to entertain the community with three short plays and three songs performed by Beau Gunn and his daughter Elyce Gunn and Samantha Glover.

Ellison selected and directed the plays in order to “offer a creative outlet for youthful energy and create a chance for theatrical participation by community members.”

Syvetta Young, Emanuel Arts Council board member who was in the audience both nights, stated she spent, “two wonderful evenings watching three very entertaining Christmas plays. The actors were superb from the youngest to the oldest; and I found myself smiling and laughing throughout each performance. I look forward to seeing more plays from the Emanuel Arts Council and perhaps being a part of a production one day.”

"Our play was made possible through a grant from Mill Creek Foundation and sponsored by the City of Swainsboro," said Jacquie Brasher, executive director of Emanuel Arts Council. "We have always had strong support from our local community and I feel it's a testament to how much we need the arts in our area. My fervent wish is for the Karrh Community Arts Center to be completed soon so that Emanuel County will have access to a theater. In the meantime, the EAC is in full swing, with art exhibitions, art camps, and plays.”