COLQUITT — Swamp Gravy has been telling stories and stirring up its magic for 25 years this month.

Each weekend in October and March, Swamp Gravy will celebrate its silver anniversary with the brand-new production, “Swamp Gravy: Listen Here,” directed by Katherine Willis Cook and written by Will Murdock and Susanne Reynolds.

Swamp Gravy co-founder Joy Jinks never dreamed Swamp Gravy would make such an impression on people’s lives and last for 25 years — and counting.

“I am filled with happiness and pride and excitement to celebrate Swamp Gravy’s 25th birthday. Never did I dream that it would last so long,” said Jinks. “We were originally just going to do it for one year, then five years, but we had a tiger by the tail and couldn’t let go.”

In October 1992, “Swamp Gravy: Sketches” officially opened its first performance at the old Miller County High School auditorium.

In 1993, Jinks, along with other community members, raised funds in Colquitt and surrounding communities to prepare for Swamp Gravy’s next season.

“We did a two-hour show in Cotton Hall in 1994,” Jinks said, “and two years later, we performed at the Olympics, the governor’s mansion and the Kennedy Center. Swamp Gravy was an idea whose time had come, and there has been no stopping it since.

“My hope for the next 25 years is that we can continue providing wholesome, heart-warming entertainment to our audiences and that we continue to offer a creative venue to our talented young people. With that, we just might keep small-town values, friendliness and the volunteer spirit alive and well in this changing fast-paced society,” she said. 

Katherine Willis Cook, Swamp Gravy artistic director, who joined the Cotton Hall staff in 2006, also has high hopes for what people can gain from Swamp Gravy’s stories.

“I would love for people to gain a new appreciation for each other’s stories,” Cook said, “along with the new perspectives we can gain when we take the time to really listen to one another.”

Cook recalled how Swamp Gravy shaped her life. 

“It’s hard to quantify what I’ve gained from Swamp Gravy,” she said. “I’ve met so many people during my time here, and every one of them has influenced my life. They have shown me how quickly complete strangers can become family, how people can step up for each other if you just reach out and how complex, and yet, beautiful life can be with strength that can come through faith.”

Growing up in Swamp Gravy for many is a life-changing experience and going off to college is one of the biggest hardships teenagers of Swamp Gravy face. 

Recently, Grace Henley of Colquit, went to college, but she has carried the magic of the Cotton Hall stage with her. 

Henley, who joined Swamp Gravy when she was 15, likes telling how it changed her life.

Before Henley joined Swamp Gravy, she did not enjoy living in a small town and “counted the days until I could get out and move on to something bigger.”

“Joining Swamp Gravy made me fall in love with Colquitt,” she said. “Swamp Gravy made me realize that even the smallest of places mean something.”

During her first season of Swamp Gravy, Henley realized what it meant to be a part of a community. 

“It gave me a sense of direction and purpose that I had never experienced before,” she said. “My life was completely turned around by Swamp Gravy and it made me a much happier person.”

She is now pursuing a theater degree at Georgia Southern University. 

This season, two locals who grew up in Swamp Gravy wrote the script for the 25th anniversary.

Will Murdock of Arlington joined Swamp Gravy in 2005, when he was 14. He also was the playwright for “Swamp Gravy: Live and Learn,” “Swamp Gravy: Home” and the founder of the Colquitt-Miller Arts Council Youth Theater. 

Joining Swamp Gravy turned out to be a life-changer for the young playwright. 

“Swamp Gravy has taught me how to listen, not just on stage, but in life, too,” he said. “When I was 18, I was cast in a role that had three lines and, of course, I was young and cocky and thought I could handle more. It forced me to stay on stage the entire show night after night and actively listen to the stories being told. I think I learned more about acting and how to take care of other people’s stories in that one show than in any other singular moment of my life.” 

Reynolds, of Colquitt, joined Swamp Gravy in 2004, at age 14. Since that time, she has volunteered with CMAC’s Youth Theater, story gathering and photographing performances. 

She was thrilled when given the opportunity to be a part of writing the 25th anniversary script.

“It’s a truly magical experience being able to sit down with someone who may not think their life is anything special and finding the extraordinary in the things that are considered ordinary,” Reynolds said. “There’s a sense of magic in that itself, but to take these stories and share them with so many people and see the tears, smile or ‘Aha! I remember that!’ look on someone’s face as they hear someone’s story that makes them feel something is the real magic being brought to life by a group of talented community members.” 

Reynolds said it was difficult to pick out a favorite Swamp Gravy experience, but if she had to choose it would be getting to know and work with older, veteran cast members of Swamp Gravy.

With “Swamp Gravy: Listen Here,” the audience will get an inside look at the lives of the ladies down at the telephone company, who are busy connecting wires and telling stories of the wacky and heartfelt phone calls that come their way, and Oren, the mailman, who stays busy delivering all sorts of letters.

Join the Swamp Gravy cast at Cotton Hall as they stir up a bit of Swamp Gravy magic with Swamp Gravy: Listen Here for its 25th year by visiting www.swampgravy.com or by calling (229) 758-5450.