2009 - 2010 Season: Where the Heart Is

“Our home is in Heaven, but we are exiles on earth waiting eagerly for our Liberator, the Lord Jesus the King to come.” Philippians 3:20 (the Voice)

(All titles and dates subject to availability)

Traveling Light
October 30 – November 8
by Lawrence G. Enscoe

Acacia’s founder, Alan Atwood, returns to our stage after more than 20 years to present this contemporary retelling of the Gospel of Mark. The Good News springs into our world as Alan brings to life familiar characters as modern-day people, including Peter the longshoreman, Thomas the college radical, and Levi the IRS agent. God’s plan for opening the doors to our eternal home is seen with warmth and humor through the eyes of those who witnessed Jesus’ miracles, loving heart and ultimate victory over sin and death.

The Gifts of the Magi
December 5 –13
From the Stories of O. Henry. Book by Mark St. Germain,
music by Randy Courts, lyrics by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain

A captivating musical treat drawn from two short stories by O. Henry, THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI is a holiday love story that presents the meaning of Christmas in its simplest form: selfless love. The Christmas prospects for young couple Jim and Della are bleak, as both are out of work and penniless. But in one magical moment, their sacrifice for each other creates true wealth: the warmth of love and giving.

The Secret Garden
February 26 – March 7
Adapted from the novel by Frances Hodson Burnett (adaptation TBA)

This joyous story about the blossoming of earth and hearts is a garden of delights for the ears and the imagination. As she adjusts to her new home at secluded Misselthwaite Manor, Mary Lennox discovers an overgrown garden locked away, hidden behind a hedge. If she can uncover the mystery behind the garden, she might be able to save her sickly young cousin and melt the heart of her emotionally distant uncle. Mary plants the seeds of new life for the family drawn into her secret refuge.

The Trip to Bountiful
May 7–16
by Horton Foote

Carrie Watts yearns to escape her son and his wife’s stifling Houston apartment for one last return to her roots in Bountiful, Texas. Running away from her present life to fulfill her dream of returning home again, she finally arrives with results that are both poignant and brilliantly life-affirming. Through laughter and tears, this Pulitzer prize-winning American playwright explores the inevitable need to assert independence and reawaken the memories of yesterday.

Smoke on the Mountain
July 9 –18
Book by Constance Ray, conceived by Alan Bailey,
musical arrangements by Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick

It’s Saturday night in Mount Pleasant, NC, in 1938. The good Reverend Oglethorpe has invited the Sanders Family Singers to provide an upliftin’ evenin’ of singin’ and sharin’. The audience is invited to pull up a pew for some ol’ time gospel favorites, including “Jesus is Mine” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Ungraceful but full of grace, the Sanders family and their hilarious stories provide a bellyful of laughs and a foot-stomping good time.