A Medieval prince musically seeks his “corner of the sky.” A pair of English university students murder a classmate to demonstrate their moral superiority. A young, brilliant, blind and deaf girl in Alabama grapples with her limitations and rises on her path to influence and world fame, as Helen Keller.
All of that, and more, is coming up over the next year on stages spanning the region from Highlands, N.C., to Toccoa, Clarkesville, Dillard, Sautee Nacoochee, Dahlonega, Jefferson, Winder, Elbert, and Hartwell.
Without a central “clearinghouse” for information, some theater lovers in the region may be shortchanged when it comes to looking for a place to satisfy their stage itch, going no farther than the nearest set of footlights, makeup, and, oh yes, thespians. But within a short drive, there are at least 10 community theaters where you can see local actors emote (or ham it up). We have briefly listed them here, along with the shows of their upcoming seasons, so that, when the mood strikes to enjoy a sappy stage musical, cacophonous comedy, or daring drama, you will know where to go.
In addition to these, there are, of course, theater offerings at most colleges and high schools, but those are too numerous to list here. A web search can carry you to your preferred destination.
Here are Northeast Georgia’s local community theater offerings. Please visit their websites through the links provided for fuller descriptions, dates, details, and tickets.
HCT fills Clarkesville with music, mystery, and laughter
Habersham Community Theater is a mainstay of the city’s art scene, having staged as many as six shows a year since 1982. In the heart of the city’s commercial strip, it creates buzz up and down Washington Street, feeding customers to the many neighboring restaurants and pubs.
The HCT offerings begin this week with Hello, Dolly!, the Jerry Herman musical, first staged in 1964, and released as a popular movie starring Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau in 1969. It’s the 1890’s-set story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a New York matchmaker seeking a wife for a wealthy, grumpy Horace Vandergelder. A younger couple completes the romantic shenanigans.
The rest of the HCT season is as follows:
- Hello, Dolly!: Wednesdays-Sundays, September 24th through October 5th. The Sundays are matinees; the others are evening performances.
- Gift of the Magi, Thursdays through Sundays from November 13-23, with matinees on the Saturdays and Sundays, and evening performances on the Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
- Something’s Rotten, a Shakespearean romp, runs February 11-15 and 18-22, 2026. The two Sundays are the only matinees.
- Rope runs April 9-12 and 16-19. It’s based on the true-life story of a murder that also generated the Alfred Hitchcock film. There are matinees and evening performances on Saturdays, and matinees only on Sundays.
- James and the Giant Peach, a musical based on the classic children’s book by Roald Dahl. June 3-7 and 10-14, with matinees on the Sundays.
- Sense and Sensibility, based on the Jane Austen novel, follows up on last year’s Pride and Prejudice. Sensibility runs July 30-August 2, and August 6-9. There are evening shows at 7:30 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and matinees at 2 p.m. on the two Sundays.
North Georgia Community Players in Dillard
A comedy aimed at the adult set is the first fall show for North Georgia Community Players, which operates on the intimate stage at Dillard City Hall in Rabun County, just south of the North Carolina line. The theater operated sporadically for 20 years before the pandemic, then shut in 2020. It has been going at a clip of four to six shows a year ever since the Great Reopening, alternating between musicals and “straight” plays.
A comedy, Four Old Broads: The Miss Magnolia Senior Citizens Beauty Pageant leads off this fall:
“Against her better judgment, Lurleen Dupree is throwing the seventh annual Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Beauty Pageant. Martha Parcell is certain that it is finally her year to win. But Beatrice, Imogene, and Eaddy have other plans. Throw in a tambourine-playing squirrel, dueling Elvises, and an unfortunate spray-tanning incident… and you’re in for a knee-slapping, side-splitting night of live theatre.”
Parents are cautioned that kids might not be the best audience for this mature comedy.
- Four Old Broads runs October 10-12th and 17-19th; Friday and Saturday shows are at 7, and the Sundays are 3 p.m. matinees.
- The December show is A Christmas Carol, the universally loved Charles Dickens tale of the comeuppance of Ebenezer Scrooge. The Christmas Carol dates are December 5-7 and 11-14th, with 3 p.m. matinees only on the Sundays, and 7:00 evening performances on all the other days.
In 2026, the dates for the rest of the North Georgia Players’ shows are not yet firmly set, but the chosen plays are:
- Steel Magnolias, a bittersweet drama whose film version starred Sally Field, Julia Roberts, and Dolly Parton.
- Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim, is based on the Brothers Grimm fairytales.
- An adult-oriented comedy, Don’t Dress for Dinner, pops up next on the NGCP schedule. Based on a French comedy, the show centers on a not-so-happily married couple, Bernard and Jacqueline, both of whom are having extramarital affairs.
- Spamalot runs in late 2026. It’s the wildly farcical Monty Python musical spoofing King Arthur and his round table, with knights and laughs aplenty.
Toccoa Stephens Community Theater at the Ritz
Toccoa Stephens Community Theater heartily struts its musical heart out at the historic Ritz Theatre in Toccoa and offers a full slate of theater for the upcoming year.
- Up first is Twenties in Toccoa, October 17-18
- Willy Wonka, the beloved Roald Dahl story of chocolate and candy galore, is playing November 13-16.
- In the spring, the Abba-infused musical Mamma Mia plays from April 30 to May 3, 2026.
- Murder Ahoy, presumably a ship-born murder story, plays one night only on August 8, 2026.
- And finally, Dinner at Eight, Dead by Nine is on the bill, with a date yet to be announced.
Drama in Dahlonega at the the Holly Theater
The Holly Theatre, just off the Dahlonega town square, has a deep history in the little former gold rush town. The first movie was made in the town in 1915, and the first movies were shown just four years later. The Holly, in its current location, opened in 1948 to show movies, and live theater began there in 1993.
Now, the Holly stages a full season of stage shows, interspersed with musical concerts of all sorts.
- The stage season begins with Pippin, the Stephen Schwartz musical about Charlemagne’s son, seeking his “corner of the sky.” The show runs weekends from September 26 to October 12.
The rest of the Holly season features the following:
- A 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol. It’s a play within a play, featuring actors playing both the Dickens characters and the cast of a radio version of the story. The dates are December 5-21.
- Next is The Miracle Worker, the Tony Award-winning play about young Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan. The show runs from February 13 to March 1.
- The Drowsy Chaperone follows. The Tony Award-winner is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring plentiful song and dance. The dates are Apr 24-May 10.
- The season closes with Biblical fare: Children of Eden is the story of Adam, Eve, and Noah. The dates are July 17-August 2.
Highlands Cashiers Players
Not far from the Georgia border, the Highlands Cashiers Players are offering a fun mystery-thriller. Deathtrap, the Ira Levin play, is on stage from October 30 to November 2, and November 6 to 9. Thursday and Friday performances are at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m., and Sundays at 3.
The rest of the Players’ 2025-2026 season will be announced later.
Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center
The Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center is better known for its world-class pottery museum, as well as music, dance, and painting. Still, theater occasionally makes its way into the beautiful 100-seat theater as well.
On Sunday, October 19th, Threads of Creativity: A Retrospective of Readers Theatre will hit the boards at 2:30 p.m. Selections will include poetry, prose, drama, fiction, and non-fiction, woven from readings and performances of previous years.
Hart County Community Theatre
The Hart County Community Theatre in Hartwell has a fun season ahead. The shows are:
- Into the Woods, the Sondheim musical based on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales. September 26- October 5, with evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Christmas One Acts: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Elf, Jr (the Musical). December 5-21, with evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
- The Diary of Anne Frank is based on the true story of a young Jewish girl who hid with her family from the Nazi Holocaust. February 27-March 15, with evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees on February 28th and the three Sundays, and evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Mamma Mia, the jukebox musical based on the songs of the supergroup Abba. May 15 to May 31st, with evening performances on the Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees on the Saturdays and Sundays.
Jefferson Community Theatre
The Jefferson Community Theatre performs at the city’s community center, and a full season is planned, though specific dates and details are still unannounced.
- The Chicken-Fried-Fabulous Spa-Dee-Dah Sisterhood goes up in October.
- Scrooge the Musical is the December offering.
- 2026 kicks off with Left to Our Own Devices in February and March.
- Ordinary Days is the March show.
- Yours, Anne is the Spring and Summer show.
Winder-Barrow Community Theatre
Winder-Barrow Community Theatre is best accessed on Facebook, as the website was not working properly when we tried. The season ahead:
- The mystery-thriller. Deathtrap, the Ira Levin play, is on the boards from October 17-19 and 24-26. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30; Sundays are at 3.
- A Seussified Christmas Carol runs December 5-7. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30; Sunday is at 3.
- The company returns to the scene of a crime with Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, running February 20-22 and February 27- March 1. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30; Sundays are at 3.
Elbert Theatre
Our theatrical survey concludes with The Elbert Theatre in Elberton, which, like some of the others, intersperses music and drama throughout the season. The theatrical offerings:
- Kong’s Night Out, featuring the giant ape in formal dress on its poster, closes this weekend with performances September 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. and September 28 at 2 p.m.
- Beetlejuice Jr. will scare its audiences on October 24-26. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. and the Sunday show at 2.
- A Tuna Christmas, set in “the third smallest town in Texas,” runs weekends from December 5-14. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m., and the Sunday show is at 2 p.m.
Enjoy the shows (and let us know if we missed anyone)!
As you can see, one doesn’t have to go very far from home to sample all kinds of theatrical pleasures throughout the region.
If we’ve missed any community theater upcoming in the next year, please email us at joshua@nowhabersham.com and let us know. Happy Theatergoing!
