When Mama calls from Mississippi, she now prefaces stories with, “Now, I don’t wanna see this in a play, Son.” So I respond, “Of course not,” in my most innocent fashion.

        This little exchange is nothing but lies. She knows I’m gonna write it all down, and I know she flat-out cannot wait to see it in a play.

        I’ve been gently folding our family history into stage productions for nearly 15 years now, and it’s afforded me astonishing perspective on our shared experience – I’ve received letters from audience members who absolutely insisted I stole that story from their family, when I would have sworn it could only ever have been my Aunt Barbara. Families and communities are all alike – we use different terms to describe ourselves so we feel unique, but the experiences are so universal.

        Still, imagine how my relations feel the first time they see a new play, as the lights go down: “Oh sweet Lord, what secrets did he tell this time?” Well, many of you don’t have to imagine. You’re wondering the same thing right now.

        Paul Pierce approached me early last year and shared a dream he’d long held – he wanted to see a play that captured, in some small way, what he loved about Columbus. He had become familiar with my writing, and had a notion that between us two Southern boys, we might be able to pull it off. Researching this play was a delight – talking to lifelong residents, exploring the past, and collecting stories.

        In the South, we record our history in stories. All of our life lessons and cautionary tales are gently wrapped in family folklore and community legend. What I found in Columbus is a culture facing a curious challenge – embracing traditions of the past, while striving to build a modern, diverse community. Finding the balance between past and future is not a conundrum unique to Columbus, or even to Georgia – it’s something we all face. In navigating contemporary society, the Tuttles of Lakebottom Proper are trying desperately to figure out how to play a game where nobody’s shown them the rules.

        Does Lakebottom Proper tell secrets? Absolutely. But not the ones you might think. I don’t reveal the names of any underground committees or report any illicit affairs – I’ll let y’all do that at intermission.

        The real secret in this play: For 21st century Southerners, nobody is quite certain what the “rules” are anymore, and the resulting chaos is very, very entertaining.