Exploring Books “How Y’all Doing?” by Leslie Jordan

productions. For instance, in their production of “Annie,” when the character Annie meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a different sponsor appeared in that scene each night of the show. DeSoto Family Theatre has built and continues to strengthen a legacy in their area through the arts that could be seen on full display by the sheer turnout of their 2020 anniversary events.

“We started off with an alumni night during our production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ in July and invited all past participants to come back for it,” says Wieronski. In addition, DFT kicked off the 20-year anniversary by welcoming the community at their business office at Tanger Outlets in Southaven, Mississippi. Moving past their 20th anniversary and the waning pandemic, the theater is focused on a lineup of events for fall and spring, and summer camps for students. DFT continues to seek opportunities to connect with youth to foster an unforgettable experience in the theater arts, as well as offer an internship experience and several scholarships for their camps. They also rent out costumes, props, and sets to small community theaters around the state, just as others did for them when DFT was first gaining its footing.

Regardless of the struggles of 2020 and 2021, DeSoto Family Theatre plans to be here for the long haul, continuing to influence the next generation of performers and theatergoers. “I have a six month old,” says McCormack. “I really hope she has the bug for theater…that would be really incredible and a full circle moment for me to see her up on that stage.”

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Elizabeth Tettleton Mason is based in Oxford, Mississippi, where she works at the University of Mississippi. She is a freelance writer and leads The Oxford Comma, a local creative writing workshop. Voted Oxford’s Top 20 Under 40 in 2021, Elizabeth will complete her MBA in May 2022.