Our Story
The Grand Ol’ Christmas Show is a live, one-of-a-kind musical variety show bringing all-time favorite Christmas classics and original sketch comedy antics to theaters across Texas. An original by The Grand Ol’ Production Company, produced by Will Hearn and featuring the Americana standout music group, Blue Water Highway along with a cast of the best artists and entertainers in Texas.
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 titled, T’was The Night Before December 22nd. It was produced again in 2004 as It’s a Wonderful Holiday, in 2005 as Miracle on Oyster Creek Drive, in 2009 as 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 and popularity. Additionally, our cast and 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.
Although we couldn't perform publically in 2020, it allowed us to produce full-length albums from The Christmas and Americana Shows. That same year, The Grand Ol’ Production Company was recognized by The Texas Commission on The Arts and was awarded a coveted spot on the Texas Touring Roster, joining ranks with the best of the best that Texas has to offer in professional music and performing arts.
In 2021 and 2022, The Grand Ol’ Production Company returned to touring the state of Texas and premiered its third major production -The Grand Ol' Halloween Show!
2023 was a special year for the company as it marked 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 become a nationally touring Holiday production with its first performances across the borders of Texas in Arkansas and Missouri.
2024 promises to be our best year yet and we can't wait to meet new people, perform for new audiences, and of course bring our shows to the loyal fans and patrons that we love so much!
Giving Back
The Grand Ol' Christmas Show's history is rooted in charity and bringing about awareness of the many fine non-profit organizations serving our communities across the state of Texas. We have been proud to partner with these organizations to present the Christmas Show - Wichita Falls Arts Council, Trinity Star Arts Council, La Rita Performing Arts Theatre, Historic Cactus Theater, TX Texas University, Texas State University, Golden Crescent Habitat for Humanity, Children Discovery Museum of the Golden Crescent, Victoria College, Piney Woods Fine Arts Association, The Center for The Arts & Sciences, Brazosport Cares, Actions, Inc., Habitat for Humanity of Southern Brazoria County, Boys & Girls Club of Brazoria County, Agape in Action, Brazoria County Youth Home, Military Moms & Wives of Brazoria County, True to Life Ministries, Hope Hospice, New Braunfels Food Bank, The Food Basket, and United Way.