Gulf Shores, Ala. — (OBA) —  South Baldwin Community Theatre (SBCT) is kicking off the summer with something a little different. The Gulf Shores theater company is staging an original play by a local playwright. The production, titled "Livin' and Comin' Back," tells the story of a Southern family on one very big day in 1969. Directed by Joan Gasaway, the show features a cast of seven, including four teenagers.

The play runs June 5 through 14 at SBCT's home, 2022 West 2nd St., in Gulf Shores. Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees start at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for students and $23 for adults. They can be purchased at sbct.biz or by calling 251-968-6721 for more information.

The story centers on the Whitfield family and unfolds on the first day of summer in 1969. Eighteen-year-old Montgomery has just graduated from high school. He has also gotten drunk for the first time and received his draft notice for the Vietnam War. His sister Savannah is dealing with a crush on the school's quarterback. Middle child Augusta spends most of her time cleaning up after her siblings while managing a hair treatment gone very wrong.

Playwright Laura Pfizenmayer said the story comes from a deeply personal place. She grew up in Birmingham in a family she describes as deeply Southern. That upbringing shaped every aspect of the play.

"I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, in a family that is as Southern as it gets, and I love them all," Pfizenmayer said. "I think it could be about many families who lived through the '60s. You can see the boy becoming a man in just one day. It is very touching. But there is also a lot of humor."

The play is described as a family dramedy that blends humor and heart against the backdrop of the Vietnam era. Set in a small Southern mill town, it captures a moment in American life when everything felt like it was changing. Music from the period plays a key role in the production, including songs by The Monkees.

"People will love the great music from that time," Pfizenmayer said.

"Livin' and Comin' Back" is the first chapter of a much larger story. Pfizenmayer has written four follow-up plays that continue the Whitfield family's journey. The titles are "2 Tornados Touching Down," "Trapped In A Basement," "Waiting Rooms," and "Crystal and JT's Wedding Shower & Fishfry." Together, she calls the series the Whitfield Family Saga.

This is not the first time the play has been performed. It ran in Gulf Shores about a decade ago and has since been staged at theater conventions in Alaska and Nebraska. Pfizenmayer has written more than 100 plays in her career, and about 10 have been produced at SBCT. She said she is excited to see first-time director Gasaway put her own stamp on the script.

"This has to be her vision, not mine, and I am really looking forward to seeing it," Pfizenmayer said.

The play's title has deeper roots than it might appear at first glance. It was inspired by a real Civil War family that sent nine sons to fight for the Confederacy. Eight of them were killed in battle. Only one returned home — and he did so by hiding in the woods until the war ended.

"There is no shame in coming back home," Pfizenmayer said.

Audiences who enjoy the production may also want to mark their calendars for another SBCT event. Pfizenmayer founded the theater's Annual 24-Hour Play Festival, which returns on June 20 this year. Playwrights, directors, and actors are assigned random props or themes and must build a brand-new 10- to 20-minute play from the ground up. Scripts are written overnight, rehearsed the next day, and performed that same evening.

The cast of "Livin' and Comin' Back" features Ashley Nowling as Mama Alma Whitfield, Ian McConnell as Montgomery Whitfield, Elizabeth Jones as Savannah Whitfield, Erin Woerner as Augusta Whitfield, Caymen Elizabeth as Cornelia Wallace, and Hailey Gentry as Mary Lee. Nowling brings more than 13 years of stage experience and has previously directed at SBCT, including "The Boardinghouse." McConnell, who moved to the Gulf Shores area from Memphis two years ago, has appeared in several SBCT productions, including "Nightfall" and "Spamalot." For Woerner, this production marks their SBCT stage debut.

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