A new play, Crazy All These Years, written and directed by local Jeff Swafford, opens this week and organizers have pledged to donate a portion of each ticket sold to the Tennessee Equality Project.

Originally shot as a film featuring local actress Cinda McCain, Crazy All These Years is a poignant yet humorous look at family and the damage caused by running away from the past. The story centers on Ben as he return home to the small Tennessee town that he escaped from years ago to take care of his cantankerous mother who only has days to live. Their reunion quickly spirals into a battle of wills as they struggle to understand the life that each other have chosen to live. Ben also finds he must face up to past relationships and the broken hearts he left in his wake.

Swafford helms this world premiere, having served as writer/director of the film version of Crazy All These Years, as well as the web series Three. After graduating from MTSU, Jeff moved to Los Angeles and worked in the film industry for fifteen years with director Quentin Tarantino and producer Lawrence Bender. His credits include such films as Jackie Brown, Kill Bill (Vols. 1 & 2) and Good Will Hunting.

A stage actor during his early career, Swafford says, “The idea for this story started out as a play. I’ve always wanted to see it on stage because I believe the emotional impact of the story lends itself well to live theater and I’m excited to see it in front of an audience.”

Woodland Entertainment’s Crazy All These Years runs select dates April 13 – April 22 at Darkhorse Theatre, located in West Nashville at 4610 Charlotte Avenue. Tickets are $15 and are available online at TicketsNashville.com or at the door 30 minutes prior to show time. 

Thursday April 13 — 7:30 PM

Friday April 14 — 7:30 PM

Saturday April 15 — 7:30 PM

Thursday April 20 — 7:30 PM

Friday April 21 — 7:30 PM

Saturday April 22 — 7:30 PM

The cast of Crazy All These Years includes local favorites:

Cinda McCain (Martha), a Nashville resident since 1988, has an extensive resume, with numerous stage, film and television credits including her portrayal of the foul-mouthed trailer park owner Loretta Jenkins in the hit web series “How I Seize It.” Stage credits include Southern Baptist Sissies (Odette), The Glass Menagerie (Amanda) and her First Night Award-winning portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Michael Adcock (Ben) is a native Tennessean with numerous stage credits including local productions of Peter and the Starcatcher, Floyd Collins, The Miss Firecracker Contest and Memphis, The Musical. He has also appeared in several stand-up comedy showcases, including Zanies’ “Best of Nashville.”

Jennifer Richmond (Lori) has extensive local credits, including work with Nashville Children’s Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Actors Bridge, Street Theatre Company and Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre, to name but a few. Previous shows include Cabaret (Sally Bowles) Avenue Q (Kate/Lucy) and Long Way Down (Maybelline), a new work by local playwright Nate Eppler for which she was awarded a First Night Honor for Best Actress.

Daniel Hackman (Joe) makes his welcome return to the Nashville theatre scene after a brief residency in L.A. During his time there, he performed in shows at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and in the short film Before I Met You (Downtown LA Film Festival), along with a handful of other shorts and viral videos. A Belmont graduate, his local credits include work with Blackbird Theatre, Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, People's Branch and Open Stage.

The production team includes Jeff Swafford (Playwright and Director), Derek Whitaker (Producer) Katie Gant (Lighting Designer), Emily Sue Laird (Scenic Designer), Jennifer Whitmore (Stage Manager).