Swamp Gravy Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

Swamp Gravy

Swamp Gravy is the official folk-like play of Georgia State in the US. The play is performed annually in Colquitt (Miller County, Georgia) from July to October.

Swamp Gravy is the name of a soup made at the fish camps in southwest Georgia. The soup contains tomatoes, potatoes, onions, drippings from dried fish, and other available ingredients. It represents the local community and is an apt title for the play.

History and Background Information

The idea for the play was formed when Joy Jinks from Colquitt met Richard Owen Geer at a community development conference in NYC. Jinks spoke to Geer about the decline in the home community in her region and wanted to create a play that celebrates the community's history.

Geer was a doctoral student at that time, working on performance studies. He suggested that they work together for the play and focus on how performance can be a community-building tool.

The duo named the project Swamp Gravy a year and a half later. They contacted people to collect stories about locals in the community (irrespective of their race, gender, etc.). Then the duo spoke to Jo Carson, a playwright from Tennessee.

The play was first presented as a musical, Swamp Gravy Sketches, in 1992. It was supposed to be a one-time performance. The first performance was sold out. It was at the Miller County Elementary School auditorium and a massive success in the community. The team went on to perform 30 times more across Georgia State and won the Cultural Olympiad Award in 1994 in Atlanta.

An old warehouse was converted into the Cotton Hall in the Swamp Gravy Theater in 1994. It has become a tradition to perform the play each year in this theater. The place was upgraded and is now a state-of-the-art theater.

Swamp Gravy has around 32 performances every year. The best part is that the storyline is ever-changing. New stories are collected to replace some old stories. Original music is also added to support the latest stories. The music is provided by local volunteers who also make up for the cast.

Swamp Gravy dealt with various themes over the years. From racism to pedophilia, serious issues have also found their place in recent years. However, Swamp Gravy continues to represent the beauty of rural America and small-town culture. It is a celebration of life.