Colquitt, GA
A volunteer-based theater organization that engages Colquitt County in an effort to share and preserve the cultural heritage of the community.
Swamp Gravy is a volunteer-powered play based on stories and the southern tradition of Colquitt County, Georgia. The play developed from a need to preserve and share the cultural heritage of Colquitt County. Created by Joy Jinks and Richard Owen Geer under the theory that performance can be used as a community building tool, Swamp Gravy is used as a way to share the unique stories of the residences of an area in need of economic revitalization. Furthermore, Geer and Jinks wanted to foster the development of individual empowerment while at the same time forming a strong community bond.
Nuts and Bolts:
- Produced by the Colquitt Miller Arts Council (CMAC), Swamp Gravy gathers stories, anecdotes, and vignettes from members in the community to create a play in which approximately 125 volunteer cast members, ages from youth to elders, participate.
- Since 1991 Swamp Gravy has performed for 100,000 people, with new stories and vignettes added each year.
- The Swamp Gravy Institute was founded to educate others on the issues surrounding large scale public performances. The Institute has provided technical support and advice to areas seeking to develop their own cultural heritage productions.
- Additionally, Cotton Hall, the former cotton barn performance center opened for Swamp Gravy productions, has expanded its performances to other productions highlighting the greater Georgian culture.
Successes:
- The group has also been performed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta and at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.
- Georgia’s General Assembly designated Swamp Gravy as the Official Folk Life Play of Georgia.
- The success of Swamp Gravy has helped the Colquitt Miller Arts Council to promote and create other arenas for cultural tourism such as the Museum of Southern Cultures, Cotton Hall Gift Shop, and Market on the Square that features antique crafts. By bringing together members of the community and more experienced writers and directors, the Colquitt Miller Arts Council developed cultural tourism which supported the economic revitalization of the area.
- Additionally, through continued productions of Swamp Gravy, a sense of civic pride and cultural heritage has been developed in the area.
- Between 1994 and 2003, it is estimated that presence of the Swamp Gravy production brought four million dollars ($400,000 a year) in revenue into the area through direct ticket sales and tourist related spending.
- Swamp Gravy continues to be upgraded with new stories from Colquitt County Residents and is currently in its twelfth year of live performances.
For more information on this program: Swamp Gravy, Community Arts Network