The Canebrake Players will present “Dixie Swim Club” in April. It’s a story about friendship and camaraderie, dating back to the club members’ time together on their college swim team.

Opening night is Friday, April 11 at the Old School on Main in Demopolis. Performances will continue Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The production has a cast of just five, all women. It will also mark Johnny Johnston’s directing debut.

Every day this week The Times will be featuring one of the five cast members: Donna Bishop, Kelley Freeman Mullins, Laurie Willingham, Dana Freeman and Candace Jones Colgrove.

Dixie Swim Club is Candace Jones Colgrove’s “board treading” debut with the Canebrake Players. She is Jeri Neal, the ditzy ray of sunshine of the group, who continually makes life choices that surprise and amaze her friends.

Candace is a busy young woman. She is wife to Edmund, mother to Mary McClain Colgrove and sons Jones and Josiah. When asked about her career/profession, she said, “I am owner/operator of a taxi service, a laundry service, a house cleaning service, a yard maintenance service, an extra-curricular activities assistant service, a life management service and a bookkeeping service. I am an accomplished short-order cook, a cheerleader, and a business owner’s personal assistant. Simply put, I am a homemaker, mother of three very involved children and wife of a business owner.” She enjoys it all and considers herself blessed to be able to serve her family.

Candace’s two oldest children have been involved with Canebrake Players prior to her decision to audition for DSC. Her daughter Mary McClain was Gretel in “Hansel and Gretel” five years ago and has since had other roles, and her son Jones was our very own Oliver in Canebrake’s production of the musical. Even though this is Candace’s first production, her talented children have obviously inherited some serious “talent” genes.

This multi-talented young mother said she has intended to get personally involved with Canebrake after she and spouse finished raising their children. She happened to mention auditioning for DSC to her daughter, who told her father, and here she I — never dreaming she would actually get a part. She said her husband and daughter both assured her that the rest of her family would all survive without her “undivided attention.”

Candace admits her character is ditzy. She also thinks that personally she can be too serious at times. She is enjoying the opportunity to portray a sweet “airhead,” and her family is definitely surviving.