Next Wednesday the game will officially be on at The Holly Theatre, as the first public performance of Planet Youngblood’s The Game Show Dahlonega is set to hit the mainstage on September 2 at 7 p.m.
Some local residents already got a sneak peak at the new recurring show’s format back in July, when an invitation-only trial run of the wacky game show saw The Holly team defeat the Dahlonega Arts Alliance team.
Now the interactive event will return to The Holly for a total of three ticketed shows this fall that will feature friendly competition between two teams, with plenty of local themes and opportunities for audience participation along the way.
Wednesday’s show will feature a face-off between local law enforcement and emergency services.
Returning for the event are emcee Bobby Youngblood, his assistant, local theater advocate Ivana Pelnar-Zaiko, and guest judges Matthew and Elise Hoyle.
Individual general admission tickets to the all-ages show are available now for $15 each, but there is also a $30 family rate available that admits two adults and up to three children under 12.
Youngblood said tickets will continue to be sold the day of the show if they are still available, but he cautioned that they could also sell out in advance.
“I know people wait a lot of times until the last week on these kind of things with The Holly, but with this particular event the rivalry between emergency services and law enforcement is a long-time rivalry that they’ve had, so I think that they’re going to be talking with their people in the last week or so,” Youngblood said.
GAME ON
During a recent phone interview with The Nugget, Youngblood said he hopes that his new show will become a fun new tradition for the community, with more team matchups expected this winter and moving into 2027.
The Game Show Dahlonega combines elements of several classic game shows, including surveys, trivia and other challenges.
Youngblood said the idea came about because The Holly was searching for reoccurring family events that could take place on weeknights at The Holly.
“I threw out this event, and they loved it,” he said. “It’s giving an opportunity for everybody to come together and just have a good time together under silly circumstances.”
Wednesday’s show will test the wits and reflexes of the Lumpkin County EMS team, consisting of Firefighter Dylan Elliot, Lt. Casi Bailey and Batallion Chief Chris Black, and the law enforcement team, consisting of Deputy Gian Dev, Deputy Lydia Hammack-Dev and Officer Hunter Bauman.
Youngblood said the format will be very similar to the July pilot show, with one key exception.
“Instead of having the breaks between the rounds I have cut that fat out, where the audience participation will be worked into the rounds themselves,” he indicated.
He said the streamlined show should provide about an hour and ten minutes of “bold, cheesy, fun, silly” entertainment suitable for the whole family.
Youngblood said so far he has only posted short clips from the pilot show online, and it is not his intention to record every show in its entirety.
“I really just want to get enough stuff for marketing to get the word out to make this a sustainable event going forward,” he said. “It’s mostly a live event that families in the community can go out and enjoy in person.”
Youngblood said it is the competition between the two local teams that really makes the show interesting and unique to Dahlonega.
He teased future matchups involving teams comprised of high school students, churches or even college sororities and fraternities.
Youngblood said his goal is a program that is mutually beneficial for Planet Acorn and The Holly.
“That’s kind of what I’m building here, so that it’s always involving different aspects of our community and giving a lot of people their first chance to go to The Holly. We’re both benefiting from it, which is nice,” he added.
To purchase tickets to The Game Show Dahlonega, visit https://hollytheater.com and click on the red “Show Info” button next to the banner. For information about sponsorship opportunities for individuals, organizations and businesses visit www.planetacorn.com/thegameshowddahlonega.