Way back when, in 2003, producer Will Hearn and Blue Water Highway’s Greg Essington and Zack Kibodeaux were still in high school and wanted to write and perform a Christmas show, but something very different from anything else out there. Realizing the current market for Christmas entertainment was stale and overly commercialized, the three friends developed a show combining progressive and culturally relevant ideas with nostalgic Christmas tunes performed through the framework of a vintage time period that appeals to a multi-generational audience, a concept they called progressive nostalgia.

 

It all started as a one-night-only fundraiser for the Brazoria County Youth Home, and The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show turned out to be a surprise hit and a standing-room-only sell-out performance, or as it was first name “T’was The Night Before December 22nd”. It was produced again in 2004 - “It’s a Wonderful Holiday”, and 2005 - “Miracle on Oyster Creek Drive”, and 2009 - “A Christmas Show", and in 2015 it officially became “The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show”, and for each of those years it continued to sell out every single show.

 

Executive producer Will Hearn, formally took over the reins in 2016, forming The Grand Ol’ Production Company and the shows began seasonally touring the state of Texas to growing audiences & popularity. Additionally, our cast & crew have produced custom shows for municipalities and organizations to celebrate historical milestones, anniversaries, and festivals. Following these successes, in the summer of 2019 The Grand Ol’ Americana Show debuted to packed houses across our great state, affirming our belief that progressive nostalgia extends beyond the Yuletide season.

 

While our initial plans for 2020 were foiled, the troupe pivoted quickly, bringing in local audio and video professionals to produce one-of-a-kind video performances to take the show straight to our audience. This led to production of the company’s first 2 full length albums from The Christmas and Americana Shows. 2020 also saw the creation and first performance, albeit virtually, of The Grand Ol’ Halloween Show. That same year, The Grand Ol’ Production Company was recognized by The Texas Commission on The Arts and was awarded a highly coveted spot on Texas Touring Roster, joining ranks with the best of the best that Texas has to offer in professional music and performing arts.

 

In 2021 & 2022, The Grand Ol’ Production Company returned to touring the state of Texas adding The Halloween Show to its roster of touring shows. 2023 is a special year for the company as it marks the 20th anniversary since the inception of The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show in 2003. To make it even more special, The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show will become a nationally touring Holiday production with its first performances across the borders of Texas.