An extraordinary young girl with a brilliant mind, a fearless imagination and the courage to challenge the adults who underestimate her takes center stage when Rome Little Theatre presents Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical August 28–30, 2026, at the Rome City Auditorium.

 

Matilda Wormwood may be small, but she is anything but powerless. Surrounded by careless parents, dismissive grown-ups and the terrifying headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Matilda learns that intelligence and courage can be formidable weapons. With the help of the kindhearted Miss Honey, she begins to discover her own remarkable abilities—and realizes that sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty to make things right.

 

Filled with memorable music, energetic performances and the wonderfully dark humor associated with Roald Dahl, Matilda The Musical is a story about standing up for yourself, protecting others and refusing to let cruel people write your future.

 

This production will be presented as a special three-day engagement on a single weekend, rather than Rome Little Theatre’s usual two-weekend run. The shortened schedule comes while the stage, proscenium and backstage areas of the Historic DeSoto Theatre, RLT’s longtime home, undergo renovation.

The Rome City Auditorium will provide the temporary stage for Matilda’s story while work continues at the DeSoto.

 

Rome Little Theatre is scheduled to return to the Historic DeSoto Theatre in April 2027 with the uplifting musical Come From Away. The season will continue there in June 2027 with the comedy Always a Bridesmaid.

 

Because Matilda The Musical will be offered for only three days, audiences will have a limited opportunity to see this imaginative and inspiring production. Performances are scheduled for August 28–30 at the Rome City Auditorium.

 

Season and Indivodual Show Tickets Are Available HERE

The Tellus Science Museum will remain open late for a special lunar eclipse event on Thursday, August 27, inviting visitors to witness a dramatic night sky show from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

 

During the eclipse, 96% of the Moon will be cloaked in Earth's shadow, offering a rare celestial spectacle visible to everyone.

 

Experts Glenn Burns and NASA Ambassador Chris Thompson will guide guests through the science behind the eclipse, answer questions, and share real-time insights.

 

Attendees can experience the view from the Tellus Observatory, attend interactive Planetarium shows at 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., and join eclipse talks at 11 p.m., midnight, and 1 a.m.

 

The eclipse peaks at 12:13 a.m., likely turning the Moon a striking red or copper hue, with the event wrapping up at 1:52 a.m.

 

Admission is free for Tellus members; regular rates apply for others.

Excitement is rising in Rome, GA as the city hosts a vibrant worship night aimed at uniting the community through music and shared faith.

 

Lizzie Morgan, celebrated for her emotional vocals and uplifting spirit, headlines the event, giving attendees the chance to connect deeply with her music and message.

 

Exclusive VIP perks—such as early entry, reserved seating, and a meet and greet—set an energetic tone before the main gathering.

 

Giveaways and fresh local food options add to the excitement, as Christian concerts like this often attract enthusiastic, diverse crowds.

 

As worship fills the air, guests from all backgrounds feel welcomed and encouraged to grow together in faith.

 

Amid Rome’s ongoing downtown revival, this event nurtures new friendships and spiritual renewal, reflecting Lizzie Morgan’s passion for courageous, community-rooted praise.

The Rome High School Wind Ensemble is set to showcase its talents in the heart of Rome, GA, capturing the attention of music lovers across the region.

 

After months of dedicated preparation, these driven student musicians have been invited to take the stage at the highly regarded Music for All Festival.

 

This invitation places them among an elite group, as only a handful of high school ensembles across the Southeast are chosen to perform each year.

 

According to school leaders, the selection process for the festival is fierce and conducted with complete anonymity to ensure fairness.

 

The journey for the Rome GA high school band has been marked by unwavering commitment, with practice sessions that often stretch late into the evening.

 

Students and directors alike say this recognition goes well beyond a trophy—it's a testament to the drive found within local halls and classrooms.

 

Pride is running high through the streets of Rome as news of the invitation spreads.

 

Community members have applauded the win, noting how the band’s success uplifts the city’s profile and inspires future generations of musicians.

 

This event not only celebrates talent but signals a shift in the regional arts scene, positioning Rome as an emerging hub for musical excellence.

 

This year in particular, the Rome High School Wind Ensemble will be featured alongside other remarkable groups and engage in master classes with visiting industry professionals.

 

The festival offers students rare exposure to collegiate-level insight and valuable networking within the music education field.

 

As local leaders cheer on the ensemble, many hope for an even stronger future for the Rome GA high school band and its passionate supporters.

 

The anticipation is building for a performance that promises to echo long after the last note is played.

Excitement is building in Rome, GA as families anticipate this weekend’s live character event at the downtown Forum River Center.

 

Beloved characters will fill the venue with energy, sparking joy for children and adults alike.

 

This immersive experience promises music, interactive dance parties, and lively singalongs.

 

Organizers have crafted a full schedule of themed activities, giving families a chance to create lasting memories together.

 

Inclusivity takes center stage this year, as children with special needs are warmly welcomed and everyone is encouraged to come in costume for extra fun.

 

With concessions available and community spirit at its peak, parents see the event as a welcome break and a way to bring families closer.

 

As Rome’s family-friendly scene grows along Broad Street, events like this unite neighbors in laughter and play.

New Oak Theatre launches its 2026–27 season with four very different shows — and gives Seven Hills Spotlight readers another good reason to plan a weekend in Savannah.

 

Every once in a while, “Worth the Drive” gets a little personal.

 

My son Chase and daughter-in-law Sarah launched New Oak Theatre in Savannah last year, and I’ll admit right up front that Kim and I don’t exactly qualify as impartial theatre critics where this particular company is concerned.

 

But here’s the thing: these really are shows worth putting on your radar.

 

A lot of folks in the Seven Hills community watched Chase grow up on local stages — performing with Rome Little Theatre and in Sam Baltzer’s R.O.M.E. productions. Theatre has been part of his life for a long time, and it has been pretty special watching that journey lead all the way to helping create a theatre company of his own in Savannah.

And Savannah may not be quite as far away from Rome as we sometimes make it sound.

 

Okay... it’s not exactly Calhoun.

 

But plenty of us already head to Savannah for a long weekend, a wedding, a visit with family, a few days on Tybee, or simply because sometimes you need Spanish moss, pecan pralines, shrimp and grits, and an excuse to walk around carrying a drink.

 

If Savannah is already on your calendar, why not add a really good show while you’re there?

 

New Oak Theatre has announced a 2026–27 season at The Starland Playhouse, and they have put together a lineup with a little bit of everything.

 

First Up: She Loves Me

November 20–December 13

 

The season opens with one of musical theatre’s great romantic comedies.

 

She Loves Me takes us to a 1930s Budapest perfumery, where two co-workers spend much of their time getting on each other’s nerves.

 

There’s just one problem.

 

Neither realizes that the anonymous pen pal they have been falling in love with through a series of passionate letters is the person standing right there in front of them.

That ought to go well.

 

With a score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and a book by Joe Masteroff, She Loves Me is charming, funny and unapologetically romantic — a particularly nice choice for the holiday season.

 

Barefoot in the Park

January 29–February 21

 

Then New Oak moves from Budapest to a tiny New York apartment for Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park.

 

Newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter are discovering one of marriage’s little secrets:

 

Falling in love is one thing.

 

Living together in a small apartment is something else entirely.

Corie is spontaneous. Paul is considerably less so. Add a quirky neighbor, a meddling mother and all the little indignities of newlywed life, and Neil Simon does what Neil Simon does best.

 

He makes ordinary human aggravation extremely funny.

If you like a good old-fashioned comedy where the laughs come from recognizable people behaving exactly like recognizable people, this one should be a lot of fun.

 

Next to Normal

March 19–April 11

 

Then the season takes a dramatic turn.

Next to Normal is a Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical centered on a mother struggling with bipolar disorder and the enormous effect her illness has on the family around her.

 

This is not lightweight musical theatre.

 

The show confronts grief, depression, suicide, medication, psychiatry, addiction and the often messy reality hiding behind the front doors of seemingly ordinary suburban families.

But it does so with a powerful contemporary score by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.

 

It is the kind of musical that can leave an audience sitting quietly for a moment after the lights come up — which is often the mark of theatre doing exactly what theatre is supposed to do.

 

Long Day’s Journey Into Night

May 7–May 30

 

And finally, New Oak closes the season with one of the giants of American drama.

 

Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night follows the Tyrone family through a single August day in 1912.

Over those hours, old wounds reopen, resentments surface and a family struggles with addiction, illness, disappointment and the uncomfortable truths they know about one another.

It won both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, and there is a reason it continues to be produced nearly 70 years after its premiere.

 

It is not necessarily a cheerful night at the theatre.

 

It is, however, one heck of a play.

 

Maybe Savannah Is the New “Worth the Drive”

 

One of the things we want to do with Seven Hills Spotlight is remind folks that our arts community doesn’t end at the Floyd County line.

 

Sometimes there is something terrific happening in Cartersville, Cedartown, Chattanooga or Atlanta.

And sometimes it is in Savannah.

 

Atlanta certainly offers an enormous amount of theatre, but by the time you fight the traffic, find a parking deck and figure out which Peachtree Street you are actually standing on, you may begin questioning some of your life choices.

 

Savannah presents another possibility.

Make a weekend out of it.

 

Have a good dinner. Walk the historic district. Head out to Tybee. Enjoy Savannah.

 

And then catch a show.

 

For Kim and me, New Oak Theatre is unquestionably Worth the Drive.

 

But I suspect some of you may discover that it is worth the drive for you, too.

 

New Oak Theatre’s 2026–27 season will be presented at The Starland Playhouse in Savannah.

 

Learn more and find tickets at NewOakTheatre.org.

Leo and Lucille Frank are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, PARADE reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.

With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a rousing, colorful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County, Songs For a New World), PARADE combines soaring music with a deeply human story.

Directed by Dawn Parker (Bright Star, 2025), this production brings the Tony Award-winning musical back to the very community where these events unfolded. The result is a powerful theatrical experience that confronts one of the most complex chapters in Georgia history while illuminating the endurance of love, hope, and conviction in the face of overwhelming odds.

Tickets are $27 to $42 and are on sale now! Purchase tickets 24/7 at strandmarietta.org, or get tickets through the box office at 770.293.0080 or 117 North Park Square.