Drifty the Snowman wouldn’t be the lively, lovable character that people have come to love without the talent of Joy Williams. Williams has brought Drifty to life for about thirty Christmases onstage at Swift Creek Mill Theatre. And it’s about to happen again in Drifty’s Calendar Countdown.
“Drifty has become a part of me 100%,” actor Williams says. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I look forward to it every November. I can’t wait.”
Now three decades old, Drifty first came to life thanks to a script written by writers Paul Deiss and Holly Timberline. Deiss wrote the show solo starting in 1996.
“Joy was available. She had been part of the Christmas show [at the Mill]. We kept her on because she is such a charismatic character actor,” Deiss says. “It’s easy to write because it’s Joy. I know who is going to play it, and what Joy is going to bring to the table.”
Deiss always writes the script based on Drifty’s lovable personality. “Drifty is childlike, innocent, and dimwitted. He tends to unintentionally sabotage or fail at whatever objective is in the making of Christmas. Drifty is a clown basically,” he says.
Those are also the characteristics that Williams loves about Drifty. “Drifty sees things through the eyes of a child. Everything is a new exploration,” she says. “He’s hopeful. He sees the magic in everything and that is a great way to look at the world.”
Thirty Years of Drifty at Swift Creek Mill
The play has always had the same cast: Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, Pepita the elf, Cowboy Jim, and Drifty. Plus, there is one special guest each year. “Just about every actor who is available during the run has appeared in Drifty, from Scott Wichmann to Georgia Rogers Farmer,” Deiss says. “But, we have only had one Drifty. I don’t know what we would do if we had to find another Drifty. It would be the end of an era.”
The show always contains some SOL lesson for young students. This year, children will learn about telling the days of the week and the calendar.
“This year, Drifty knocks over the calendar and the days get mixed up, threatening Christmas,” says Williams, noting that her husband, actor Eric Williams, will be in the play as Ebenezer Elf. “This will be great to work with my husband. He’s talented and a good-hearted person. He will be a great addition. He gets to be a little crabby on stage, and he’s never crabby. This will be fun.”
Bonus Drifty Time for Families
The show’s target audience is kindergarten through fourth grade but the audience is filled with everyone from babies to college kids and older. “We have customers who have come the entire time I have been doing it,” Williams says. “It’s a tradition for them. They get to visit with the characters after the show.”
Seeing the patrons after the show is heartwarming, she adds. “We see the people year after and know we are part of their holiday tradition. As much as it means to them, it means the same to me. I can’t imagine not doing this every year and catching up with them.”
Williams, aka Drifty, gives everyone a hug and catches up with them to see what has been happening in their life. It’s not just the little kids that sit on Drifty’s lap after the show. “People as old as I am come and sit on my lap for pictures,” she says, adding that her grandson will be attending the show this year as well. “It’s magic for them and for us.”
Everyone gets special treatment, Deiss adds. “Seeing Joy do that extra service [the meet and greet] for families and children is great. It’s a show within itself.”
Drifty’s Calendar Countdown runs November 27 through December 21 at Swift Creek Mill Theatre. For showtimes and tickets visit Young People’s Playhouse.
