"Well, there’s a girl who’s new in town, you’d better watch out or she’ll put you down, she’s a crazy chick, baby she’s the witch!”

A worthwhile warning issued by Seattle’s classic garage band the Sonics, way back in late 1964. And though it may not be Halloween, it is indeed time to watch out for witches.

The Milledgeville Players present “Bell, Book and Candle (BB&C)” in Russell Auditorium, May 29 to June 1. Thursday through Saturday performances start at 8 p.m. while the Sunday matinee starts brewing its spell at the slightly unbewitching hour of 2 p.m.

Leigh Thompson has been putting the cast through their paces for several weeks now and will soon have you believing that there are indeed witches living among us. For those unfamiliar with the basic plot, BB&C takes place in New York City in the 1950s and is based on the idea that there are witches among us but most people simply refuse to believe in them. The play involves a family unit of three witches, centering on Gillian Holroyd. Gillian is one of the more powerful witches but tries to restrain herself from using her powers too much for her own advantages.

She becomes interested in a publisher that lives in the same building and hopes to have him become interested in her without resorting to witchcraft. But, as you would figure would have to happen, circumstances (not to mention the basic plot of the play!) require her to use her spell-casting abilities. During the proceedings, Gillian also has to deal with her somewhat crazy aunt, her mischievous younger sister and a drunken author who is writing a book about modern day witches that may hit a little too close to home.

As president of the Milledgeville Players, I’m very excited about this play as the cast is for the most part completely new to MVP productions. We are always talking about how we, the MVP, represent community theater. And this is a perfect representation of what that is all about. We are always interested in having folks try out for plays or to join up for helping out back stage or publicity, etc., and some of the new folks that came out and auditioned for this play just seemed to fit the characters perfectly.

So come see what spells are being wrought both on the stage by this talented cast and by director Leigh Thompson as BB&C makes its way to the Russell stage. Those dates again are May 29 through June 1. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved in advance by calling the MVP phone line at (478) 314-4054. Our bewitching enchantress from America’s Dairyland will return your call promptly and, as if by magic, prime tickets will be yours!

But there’s more! Though it certainly seems like an odd headline for Milledgeville, many folks will know what I mean when I say “The Tibetan Monks Are Back”!

Awhile back, these folks were in town for a short residency and they captured the imaginations of many people in the area. Well, Allied Arts is sponsoring a four-day residency today through Friday. The residency will include the construction of a mandala sand painting in the Allen’s Market building with an opening ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The closing ceremony will be Friday and will start at Allen’s Market but actually end at the newly dedicated Oconee Greenspace. Tickets for the Allen’s Market ceremonies are $5 but everyone is invited to the final ceremony along the Oconee River.

There will be other activities during the residency as well including two lectures by the head lama at the Georgia College A&S auditorium Thursday. These will deal with Buddhist traditions of meditation as well as the very topical issue of the recent history of Tibet and the Diaspora that has occurred since the occupation by China in the 1950s. These lectures are free and open to the public. For more information on all the activities going on during this residency, check out the Allied Arts Web site at www.milledgevillealliedarts.com.

So a play about New York City witches and sand paintings from Tibetan monks. Who says Milledgeville doesn’t have an eclectic arts scene?

Catch you on the flip side.