HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH to Open at Horizon Theatre

Horizon Theatre Company will present HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH, a wildly theatrical new comedy by award-winning Atlanta playwright Kira Rockwell, running Aug. 21–Sept. 19, 2026, with a press opening Aug. 28. Directed by Horizon Theatre Co-Artistic Director Lisa Adler, the comedy gathers 100 zealous fans of the fictional fast-food chain Holy Chicken Grail for an overnight parking lot campout and the chance to win a year of free fried chicken combos. But as the night unfolds, it becomes clear there's a fox in the chicken coop. Loyalties are tested, sides are drawn and the flock begins to fracture—with a lot more at stake than free chicken.

On the eve of Holy Chicken Grail's highly anticipated grand opening, devotees arrive with tents, sleeping bags and plenty of enthusiasm, ready to camp overnight for the ultimate prize. Newly appointed store manager Jade is charged with keeping the crowd happy and the event under control. But strange disruptions and unexpected revelations soon turn a carefully orchestrated corporate celebration upside down. As tensions rise among campers, employees, influencers and YouTubers, Jade races to uncover the source of the chaos before the night spirals completely out of control.

Fresh, funny and topical, HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH combines whip-smart humor, a shape-shifting ensemble and an absurd pantheon of chicken gods with a cheeky satire of our increasingly divided world. As the celebration unravels, loyalties deepen, opposing camps emerge and everyone becomes increasingly certain that the other side is the problem. Through the chicken-fried chaos, Rockwell takes a sharp, playful look at how our beliefs and values can bring us together—or send us scrambling to opposite sides of the parking lot. At the heart of it all: What is really in the secret sauce of devotion?

Horizon's relationship with Rockwell began through its New South Young Playwrights Festival, where she served as a lead mentor and teacher for college student writers. Horizon Co-Artistic Director Lisa Adler then discovered Rockwell's HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH and immediately wanted to bring her distinctly Southern theatrical voice to Horizon audiences. 'I loved the play's humor and heart, and the way it finds comedy and humanity in the divisions we see all around us today,' explains director Lisa Adler. 'It felt like a perfect fit for Horizon—hilarious, smart, timely and ultimately about how we connect with one another.'

'My theatrical Southern roots stem from a background in Charismatic Pentecostalism, where I first encountered the power of communal storytelling through ritual and performance,' Rockwell said. 'I explore themes of belief, values, group dynamics and the fine line between faith and fanaticism.' HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH takes those ideas into the absurdly familiar world of a fast-food grand opening. A workshop production presented as part of the Boston New Works Festival earned praise from The New England Theatre Geek, which called the play 'a cleverly funny show with a lot of heart' and 'a clucking good time.'

Originally from the heart of Texas, Kira Rockwell is an Atlanta-based playwright and educator whose work has been developed and produced across Atlanta and nationally. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre performance from Baylor University, a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from Boston University and was recently featured in American Theatre magazine as an artist to watch. Atlanta audiences may know her work from Actor's Express' acclaimed 2023 production of Oh, to Be Pure Again, for which she won the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award from Atlanta's Suzi Bass Awards. She currently teaches playwriting and screenwriting at Kennesaw State University.

HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH features an ensemble cast of Atlanta comedic actors who transform rapidly among Holy Chicken Grail devotees, employees, influencers, YouTubers and even chickens. Leading the cast is Cara Mantella as plucky new store manager Jade, shepherding her flock of 100 devoted 'Grailers' through the night-long campout.

Surrounding Jade are the mysterious 'Chicken Gods'—Wing, Tenderloin, Gizzard, Thigh and Drumstick—played by five actors who shape-shift through the many characters Jade encounters over the course of the night. Marcie Millard (Horizon's Hot Jambalaya and Dog Mom) returns to the Horizon stage for her third show this year, playing main god Wing who takes on the roles of a reluctant momma 'Grailer' who does not understand her daughter's devotion, a middle-aged ASMR YouTuber, a Pentecostal widow and a mysterious 'beggar woman.' Alejandra Ruiz (Kira Rockwell's Oh, to Be Pure Again at Actor's Express and Twelfth Night at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern) plays the god Tenderloin who becomes the enthusiastic Daughter, thrilled to be first in line for special treatment tonight, as well as a newlywed on a strange journey and a sunny influencer. Brad Raymond (Horizon's Wild with Happy and many Alliance Theatre productions) is the god Gizzard who takes on the roles of a Grandpa out for fun with the Cha Cha Slide, Parchesi and extra chicken tenders, Jade's mentor and corporate leader Mr. True, and viral YouTuber Tik Tok Pops. Myles Evans (The Hot Wing King, Alliance Theatre) is the god Thigh who transforms into Husband, a passionate Original Grailer and also Kevin, the popular 'Holy Chicken Disciple' YouTuber, banished when he reveals something rotten in the company sauce and is here tonight to win back his former friend Jade. Alexander Anderson (KSU theatre student) plays the god Drumstick and Nicky, the brand new employee and young trans man, brimming with excitement for this special night.

Director Lisa Adler (recently - Horizon's I Carry Your Heart with Me, Roe) has led dozens of new works as a director or dramaturg for Horizon's New South Play Festival, including The Waffle Palace, Waffle Palace Christmas, Third Country and many more. Here she orchestrates the crazy world of HOLY CHICKEN SANDWICH with Horizon's multiple Suzi Award-winning resident designers Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay on scenic and Mary Parker on lighting. The creative team also includes Horizon newcomers Costume Designer Stephanie Dixon and sound designer John Michael Hoke (The Hobbit, Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern) and Horizon's returning props master, Annabel Sapp. The production's ensemble staging, rapid transformations and reality-bending plot bring big theatrical energy to a comedy with thought-provoking ideas simmering beneath the surface.

Performances begin Aug. 21, with a press opening Aug. 28, running through September 19. Performances are on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m.; and Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $40* on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $45* for Friday nights, Saturday nights and weekend matinees. Prices will increase as performances fill, so patrons are encouraged to order early for the best pricing and availability. Group pricing is available for parties of 10 or more. Groups of 10-24 receive $5 off the general admission ticket price. Groups of 25 or more receive $7 off the general admission ticket price. Students under 25 can purchase $20* tickets with valid student ID. *7.5% sales tax/fee is added to all ticket orders. Single ticket seating is general admission, with a reserved seating section for season subscribers. There is limited accessible seating for patrons needing accommodation, and it must be reserved by phone. For tickets and more information, visit horizontheatre.com or call the Box Office at 404.584.7450.

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