Little Women 2020 Playbill

ed reading of a film

Women

adapted and directed by

Sarah Walker Thornton

WWW.CLOVERDALEPLAYHOUSE.ORG

OUR 2020 SEASON ~ Seeing Through Different Eyes ~

“ We get people home. We let them know that we’re here for them. This is what art can do. Art should be the arm and the shoulder and the kind eyes- all of which let others know you deserve to live and be loved. That is what matters, baby. Bringing people home.”

– Tennessee Williams What makes a community? Is it a group of people who live in the same zip code or have the same state flower? Is it people with affinities for the same books or movies or video games? Community can give you the feeling of fellowship with others, a sharing of common attitudes, interests, and goals. The teams that you root for, the trends that you follow, the art you consume all feed a sense of self and become a way of identifying yourself… and others.

Humans interpret ideas in the form of narrative often without realizing it. These stories we tell ourselves reinforce the way we see the world and relate to others. Stories are powerful. Those who tell them carry a great responsibility because they can influence how conversations are framed, how we form our identities, how we belong. But what stories do we tell ourselves and others about people who are different from us?

Perhaps, if we start sharing stories that create a dialogue, we can change our thinking, gain perspective, rewrite our ideas about ourselves and others, and see that our communities are much bigger and more vibrant than we ever realized.

Our 2020 Season will explore stories told by voices that are often misunderstood, marginalized, taken for granted, or ignored completely.

We relish the opportunity to see through another’s eyes in the hopes that we begin to see the brighter colors and clearer picture of the larger community to which we all belong. We hope you will join the conversation.

We are so grateful to be your community theatre.

LO CATE D I N TH E H EA RT O F H I STO R I C C LOV E R DA LE .

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HONORING PLAYHOUSE PATRONS THE ELIZABETH CRUMP THEATER For the last 40 years, the name Elizabeth Crump has been synonymous with community theater. At Montgomery Little Theatre, she directed more than 30 plays, served as president of the board, acted, and worked many behind-the-scenes jobs.

Elizabeth Crump has been a major supporter of the Cloverdale Playhouse from its earliest days, sharing moral and financial support each season to make the Playhouse a reality. In recognition of her lifetime of dedication to community theater, the Playhouse’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to name our new stage in her honor.

The SARAH HAARDT MENCKEN Lobby is named for the noted author and screenwriter and Montgomery native whose niece, Anton Haardt, was a major supporter of the founding of the Cloverdale Playhouse.

We thank Micki Beth Stiller for her devotion to the arts and her support of the entrance ramp. We thank the Foshee family for their guidance and generosity during the 2011 theater renovations and the 2016 construction of the Courtyard Stage. We thank all of you for your contributions to the Playhouse over the years. We would not be here without the hundreds of supporters who have helped return community theater to Montgomery.

Special thanks to the following organizations who support the Cloverdale Playhouse with grant funding in 2020:

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Thank you for your support!

Ronnie and Nan Hobbs Barganier SHOW SPONSORS 2020

A TALENTED LEADERSHIP TEAM DEVOTED TO QUALITY AND INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY THEATER AT ITS BEST Artistic Director Sarah Walker Thornton

Operations Manager Campbell Parker

Technical Director J. Scott Grinstead

Box Office Manager David Cline-Davidson

Volunteer Coordinators Danny Davidson-Cline George Jacobsen

2020 Artistic Committee Sarah Adkins Marcus Clement Randy Foster Michael P. Howley

2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Al Head, President Dorman Walker, Board Chair Sam Wootten, Vice President Linda M. Benkwith Michael Briddell Suzanne Davidson Kyle Kyser Sandra Nickel Georgette Norman Marti Rice Sarah Ann Ross John Veres Mike Winkelman John Yelverton Yolanda Zink

George Jacobsen Yvette Jones-Smedley Georgette Norman Scott Page Adam Shephard

PROUD MEMBERS

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FRIENDS OF THE PLAYHOUSE 2020 DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($15,000+)

Miss Elizabeth B. Crump

Morris Dees and Katie Kalahar

SEASON SPONSORS ($10,000+) John and Joyce Caddell and The Caddell Foundation

Tranum and Martha Fitzpatrick Donor Advised Fund of the Central Alabama Community Foundation

PRODUCING SPONSORS ($5,000) Josephine Foshee (in memory of John Foshee)

SHOW SPONSORS ($2,000) Dr. Sanders and Linda Benkwith

Ronnie and Nan Hobbs Barganier

PLAYBILL SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSORS

SPECIAL EVENT SPONSOR Michael P. Howley

FRIENDS OF THE PLAYHOUSE 2020 SUSTAINERS ($1,000+) The Alfa Foundation Jim and Murray Bennett Lynn and Steven Chromey George Jacobsen and Maureen Costello Chuck and Joan DiLaura in honor of our friend, Ari Hagler Darby Forrester

Barrie and Laura Harmon Ann Hubbert Dr. Charles Fletcher Hyde Bill Mitchell in honor of Morris Dees Steve and Jodee Schwartz Drs. Tom and Yolanda Zink

BOOSTERS ($500+) Stephen Brickley Cloverdale Idlewild Association Richard and Ashley Conner Crum Charitable Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cumbus Angie Dodson Dr. Arthur and Dr. Elizabeth Mazyck

John and Sarah McWilliams Sandra Nickel Dr. Wynne Crawford and Mr. Andrew Stumpf, Jr. Dr. Michael and Louisa Weinrib Emily and Sam Wootten

PLAYERS ($250+) Jane Taylor Albright Dr. Jim Alford Dr. Arthur and Maureen Britton Barbara Britton Mark Bullock Jo Ann Carr Bill and Dee Coleman Charlie and Connie Colvin Dr. Stephen and Suzanne Davidson Cathy and Rick Gassenheimer Stanley and Vicki Gregory Al and Judy Head Sarah and Brooks Housley Dr. James and Mrs. Gina Izer Joe and Lucie Lee Lanoux

Jamie and Carol Loeb Tyler Bell and Sarah Philpott Mr. and Mrs. Junie Pierce, III McGavock and Douglass Porter Adam and Dawn Schloss Jean and Steve Schloss Dr. Peter and Dr. Sara Shashy Lisa and Vernon Taylor Pat and Greg Thornton in honor of Morris Dees Dr. Jim and Lenore Vickrey Penny and Kendal Weaver Lisa and Andy Weil George and Madeliene Wilder Frank and Rose Winkler

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CREW ($100+) Anonymous Billy Young and Doug Beckwith Dr. Wilfred Bibbins Ethel Boykin Paula Bradford in honor of ASF Box Office Broads Corinne Cau Sharon and John Chambless in honor of the Nick Henninger family Chappell Chancey Mr. and Mrs. Les Cole Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cope in memory of Davis Brock Sally and Niko Corley Davis & Copeland Realtors Tom and Judy Derickson Larry and Gaynell Dixon Keary and Phadra Foster Martha Gates Lynne and Pete Ginsburg Reggie and Anne Hamner Scott and Sandy Harris Rick Dildine and Stephen Hayes Hon. Pamela R. Higgins Richard Hodges in memory of Carol Hodges Linda and Hank Hutchinson John and Jenny Ives

Connie James Thomas Cowin and Holly Knowles Karen and Pat LaPlatney Larry E. Speaks & Associates, Inc. Michelle and William Llewellyn Yvonne McGinn Mr. and Mrs. L . Daniel Morris Chip and Tricia Norris Judy Pate Jon, Lynne, Griffin, and Sarah Payne Walter Phillips Donna Pollard Marti and Rush Rice Stacia and Jaylin Robinson Alan and Myrna Rothfeder Katrina Matzer and Tina Ruffa Jimmy Sellars Barbara and Paul Smith Cheryl Mitchell and Terry Smyly The Tipping Point Lewis and Tess Ware Marianne Weber Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wellington, Jr. Helen Crump Wells in honor of Elizabeth Crump Barbara Wiedemann Dr. John A . and Mrs. Dawn Williams Noble and Stuart Yelverton

AUDITIONS/ VOLUNTEERING

Be a part of the fun!

Auditions for the plays are held approximately six weeks prior to each production’s opening, and will be announced on www.cloverdaleplayhouse.org, social media, and by email. Interested in volunteering behind the scenes: box office, ushering, receptions, backstage crew, set or costume construction? Let us know how you’d like to be involved!

We want you on our team!

Keep in touch and stay in the know! You can follow Cloverdale Playhouse on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or join our email list for updates.

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

FANS Janie Allred in memory of Allan Swafford Anonymous Maria Luisa Ardon in memory of my son, Frank Ardon Gregory Babb Myron Bell Gretchen Boyd Julius Boyd Kate McLean and Richard Deneve Dorothy DiOrio Patricia and Roy Dumas Dr. Jack Evans Donna and Jim Farrior Phyllis and Jim Fenn Therese Ford Dr. Elizabeth French Frank Gitschier, III Mr. and Mrs. Les Cole Bill and Susan Davis, in memory of Gini Cohen Elizabeth Foshee Dr. Elizabeth French James Fuller Frank Gitschier, III Jeffrey Greenberg Farzaneh Guillebeaux Anne and Andy Hails

Marjorie Hall Edna Klinger Pete and Liz Land Linda and Tom Lee in honor of Marilyn Swears Charlie Suhor and Deborah Little Jo Lowden in honor of Marcus Clement Henrietta MacGuire Mrs. Joan E. Mattos Martin McCaffery Lynn Merrill Dr. Elba Morton Ward and Lisa Newcomb Carolyn Osborn Lettie Ross Bob and Donna Russell George and Marina Sanders Mrs. Bonnie Shanks Shashy’s Fine Foods Evelyn K. Tackett Sidney Poarch and Missy Via Gary J. Warren Bill Weaver Cecile Webb Barbara and George Witt Ken and Debby Young in honor of Jo Anne Hinson

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! The Friends of the Playhouse make each season of plays, special events, and classes possible. On behalf of the 2020 F.O.P. Committee, thank you all for your support for our ninth season.

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Friends of the Playhouse 2020 Committee Linda M. Benkwith, Chair Nan Barganier Stephen Brickley Mark Bullock Ginny Cumbus Suzanne Davidson Kyle Kyser Clay McInnis

Beverly McKinney Sandra Nickel Marti Rice Sarah Ann Ross John Veres, III Emily Wootten Yolanda Zink

We encourage you to join the Friends of the Playhouse to support the annual operating costs of the Playhouse in 2020.

“I urge you to become a Friend of the Playhouse to help meet the annual operating costs and to establish scholarships for talented and deserving young actors.”

— ELIZA B ETH CR UM P

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

ARTWORK CONTRIBUTED BY IAIN STEWART AND RUSSELL ESTES AND POPPY SEED DESIGN

For information on how to sponsor 2020 productions, advertise in the playbill, or to become a Friend of the Playhouse, please contact us at (334) 262-1530 or 960 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery AL 36106. Thank you!

Thank you for your support!

Dr. Sanders and Linda Benkwith SHOW SPONSORS 2020

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CU R ATE D D E LI G HTS E N D LE SS POSS I B I LITI E S Proudly serving Montgomery The Fresh Market 1635 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL TheFreshMarket.com

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS SERVING OUR CLIENTS. Balch & Bingham proudly supports the Cloverdale Playhouse and its mission of providing innovative productions and educational programs to enhance the cultural life in the Montgomery area.

888-254-2466

www.balch.com

Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi Washington, DC

No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

At our Joe Thomas Jr. Guitar Pull, songwriters from across the Southeast gather to present their live, original music in our intimate venue. This series has been called “the best night of music in the area” and it’s never the same twice. Join us this year for unique and exciting new music. $10 at the door 7pm

Guitar Pull Dates for our Ninth Season: Jan. 21, Mar. 17, May 19, June 16, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Nov. 17

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Get Your Tickets!

REGULAR SEASON PRODUCTIONS $20 general admission adult, $10 student GROUP RATES AVAILABLE! $12/adult in parties of 10 or more SPECIAL EVENT TICKETS prices vary | Check our website and join our mailing list to get updates on special events throughout the 2020 Season.

BOX OFFICE

Call (334) 262-1530 ext 1 or email Box Office Manager David Cline-Davidson and our volunteer team at boxoffice@cloverdaleplayhouse.org.

960 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery AL 36106

IMPORTANT TICKET INFORMATION

NO TICKETS WILL BE MAILED. Simply place your ticket order by phone or on www.cloverdaleplayhouse.org, and check in at the Lobby desk before your performance.

All seats are general admission, first-come, first-served seating.

Please notify us of any special needs when placing your ticket order; ADA seating is available.

Regular Season performances run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm. Sunday matinees are at 2pm. Doors open one hour before curtain.

What’s YOUR Role at the Playhouse?

Volunteer!

Audition!

Applaud!

Enjoy!

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

ed reading of a film

Women

adapted and directed by

Sarah Walker Thornton

December 10-20 • Streaming live on cloverdaleplayhouse.org

Sponsored By:

This adaptation and original music are protected by copyright. For inquiries about licensing, please email sarahwalkerthornton@gmail.com.Royalty free music provided by Final Cut Pro X and Bensound.

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By Mark Haddon, Adapted by Simon Stephens Directed by J. Scott Grinstead

FEBRUARY 13-23 15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork.

Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime.

But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world. “…just terrific…a profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colours and lights…dazzling.” - I N D E P E N D E N T ( L ondon) “A beautiful, eloquent, dazzlingly inventive show about the wonders of life.”

- E V E N I N G S TA N D A R D ( L ondon)

Winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play.

Winner of the 2015 Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Drama League Award.

2020 PERFORMANCES Thursday–Saturday 7:30PM • Sunday 2PM 2020 SEASON

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2020 PERFORMANCES Thursday–Saturday 7:30PM • Sunday 2PM

Winner of the 2008 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.

by Jane Anderson | Directed by Sarah Walker Thornton

APRIL 23-MAY 3 From award-winning writer Jane Anderson comes this “magnetic work of theater” filled with compassion, honesty and humor. Dinah and Bill, a devout, church-going couple from the Midwest are struggling to keep their lives intact after the loss of their daughter. Dinah is compelled to reconnect with her left-leaning cousins in Berkeley, California who are going through their own trials. Jeannette, an earthy, high-spirited woman, and her husband Neil have lost their home to a wildfire, and Neil is dying of cancer. The two couples – one solidly on the left, the other resolute in their conservative Christian beliefs – are made to confront their huge dissimilarities.

“Raw, vibrant and seemingly spontaneous, The Quality of Life radiates an unpolished veneer… And in the end we understand what the quality of life is: beautiful, heartbreaking, and temporary. It is a million acts of love and grace which put off, until the very last minute, the endless No.” - D C T H E AT R E S C E N E “Playwright Jane Anderson explores a myriad of ethical, religious, and moral beliefs, as well as (some would say) personal rights issues concerning life and death in her remarkable and completely engrossing new play, The Quality of Life.” - T H E AT E R M A N I A

By Lois Lowry, Adapted by Eric Coble | Directed by Marcus Clement

JULY 16-26 Everything in Jonas’s world is under control and safe. There is no war or fear or pain. There are also no choices. But when Jonas turns 12, he is chosen for special training from the Giver—to receive and keep the memories of the community. The Giver is the only person who holds the memories of real pain and real joy. Now Jonas will learn the truth about life—and the hypocrisy of his utopian world- and try to take control of his own destiny.

Playwright Eric Coble’s astonishing and moving adaptation of the Newbery Award-winning book The Giver has been produced Off-Broadway and had over 300 productions on three continents. Now it comes to our stage!

“Questions are imaginatively, sensitively, and deftly explored in a gorgeous tale.” -L E X I N GT O N “There are lessons for those of every age in this compelling adaptation.” -S A RA S O TA

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

H E RA L D - L E A D E R

MAGAZI NE

2020 PERFORMANCES Thursday–Saturday 7:30PM • Sunday 2PM

Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize.

by Lynn Nottage | Directed by Georgette Norman

OCTOBER 1-11 Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat.

“Keenly observed and often surprisingly funny—but ultimately heartbreaking—the work traces the roots of a tragedy with both forensic psychological detail and embracing compassion. Ms. Nottage… is writing at the peak of her powers…” - T H E N E W Y O R K T I M E S “Sharp and threatening as a box cutter blade…ferociously engrossing…

Sweat never feels less than authentic—and crucial.” - D E A D L I N E . C O M

By Matthew Lopez | Directed by Eleanor K. Davis

DECEMBER 10-20 Casey is young, broke, his landlord’s knocking at the door, and he’s just found out his wife is going to have a baby. To make matters even more desperate, he is fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small-town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in a B -level drag show to replace his act, Casey finds that he has a whole lot to learn about show business—and himself.

“Stitch-in-your-side funny…full of sass and good spirits.” - T H E

NEW YOR K TI M ES

“…[an] irresistible crowd-pleaser…Chasing buzzy themes of identity and transformation, Georgia McBride is by turns sweet and salty and deceptively deep…” - N Y D A I LY N E W S

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44 Market Plaza, Montgomery, Alabama

2020 SPECIAL EVENTS A STAGED READING TO BENEFIT THE CAPITAL CITY’S FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT

THE GUYS September 11-12

By Anne Nelson | Directed by Greg Thornton Performed by Scott Page and Sarah Walker Thornton

The Guys is based on a true story. Less than two weeks after the September 11th attacks, New Yorkers are still in shock. One of them, an editor named Joan, receives an unexpected phone call on behalf of Nick, a fire captain who has lost most of his men in the attack. He’s looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies he must present at their memorial services. Nick and Joan spend a long afternoon together, recalling the fallen men through recounting their virtues and their foibles, and fashioning the stories into memorials of words. In the process, Nick and Joan discover the possibilities of friendship in each other and their shared love for the unconquerable spirit of the city.

As they make their way through the emotional landscape of grief, they draw on humor, tango, the appreciation of craft in all its forms—and the enduring bonds of common humanity.

JOE THOMAS, JR. GUITAR PULL Jan. 21, Mar. 17 (St. Patrick’s Day Pull!), May 19, Jun. 16, Aug. 18, Sept. 15, Nov. 17 The Joe Thomas, Jr. Guitar Pull continues in 2020 with an acclaimed program that features talented local songwriters, as well as those from around the country, on our stage for a unique night of live music that is never the same twice. Be sure to check out the documentary about our Guitar Pull, Commit to the Song, by local filmmaker Josh Carples and available on Amazon!

PLAYHOUSE CABARET SERIES An evening of performances from Broadway musicals and beyond to benefit the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts and the Playhouse School. Directed by Randy Foster, our Cabaret Series is quite a hit!

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Framing & Gallery - 401 Cloverdale Road Lighting - 417 Cloverdale Road (334) 263-3190 www.stonehengeinc.com

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Thank you for being wonderful Cloverdale Playhouse neighbors and supporters of the arts in Montgomery. www.capritheatre.org 1045 E Fairview Ave • Montgomery, AL 36106 • 334.262.4858 2020 SEASON

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

THE BEST CHOICE OF SEAFOOD IN TOWN

JUBILEE SEAFOOD

in the heart of old cloverdale

TUES–SAT | 5PM–10PM (334) 262-6224 1057 WOODLEY ROAD MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

SPECIAL THANKS PoppySeed Design • Russell Estes • Iain Stewart • Melissa Tubbs Judy Bruno • Henry Orum • Danny Davidson-Cline and George Jacobsen, Volunteer Chairs • Our many volunteer casts and crews who share their time and talent Admiral Movers • Hodges Warehouses • The Yelverton Family The 2020 Friends of the Playhouse Committee • Stonehenge Framing and Gallery Capri Theater • Wells Printing • Alabama Graphics • Lamar Advertising Graphics and Mailing • Hands on River Region • Karen’s Cleaning Service Thomas Piano Tuning • WSFA • WAKA • WCOV • Troy Public Radio Midtown Montgomery Living • Cumulus Media Alabama Tourism Department • Bluewater Broadcasting • Boom! Magazine RSVP • MADE Paper • Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Ed Fieder • McCorquodale Transfer • Chris Roquemore and Clyde Hancock The Opening Night Reception Committee • Josh Carples C. DeWayne Cunningham • Tom Miro • Filet & Vine • Fresh Market

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The Playhouse School offers affordable, professionally-taught classes for students in grades K-12 in the spring and fall.

Each session is eight weeks long, with classes meeting once a week from 4:30-5:30 pm. Students of any experience level are invited to develop the craft of acting, and along the way, improve their confidence, creativity, teamwork skills, and literacy. Join us to explore the fun, challenging, delightful world of theater!

The Financial Assistance Fund allows interested students to attend at reduced or no cost to their families. Thank you to the Central Alabama Community Foundation, Alabama Power, and the “Support the Arts” Tag Licensing Fund for supporting this programming!

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CLOVERDALE PLAYHOUSE

Thank you,

Alabama State Council on the Arts for your generous support of storytelling at the Playhouse.

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We go the extra mile.

And have for 100+ years.

After 100 years in business, what continues to drive us?

Providing you with expert, service-orientated technicians.

Being on call 24/7. Giving you a 100% satisfaction guarantee. And always going the extra mile for you.

• Same-Day Service • 100% Satisfaction Guarantee • 24-hour, 7 Day Service • Up-Front Pricing

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RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL: SERVICE • INSTALLATION • MAINTENANCE

Montgomery 262.2946 Auburn 246.4918 CALLDIXIE.COM AL #17-3056