OCALA, FL (352today) – Y’alltide greetings! Back by popular demand after last season’s smash-hit debut, the comedy “A Tuna Christmas” returns to the stage December 3-14, 2025, at Ocala Civic Theatre.

It’s Christmas in Tuna, the third-smallest town in Texas. Coyotes roam beneath starry skies. Jell-O molds quiver in the kitchen at every party. Tumbleweeds are part of the holiday décor.

The radio is abuzz with news of the Yuletide yard display competition. Vera Carp’s festive masterpiece (the Holy Family with Santa Claus, Bing Crosby, the Grinch, and Natalie Wood) is in the lead. Alas, this year the competition has been vandalized by a shady “phantom,” and it’s the talk of the town from The Tastee Kreme (Tuna’s “premiere restaurant”) to Didi Snavely’s used weapons shop. Meanwhile, unpaid electric bills jeopardize a production of “A Christmas Carol,” in which even an aspiring taxidermist fresh out of reform school gets his moment in the spotlight. 

Two versatile and brilliantly funny actors, Scott Fitzgerald and Paul Pierce, play all the unforgettable residents of quirky little Tuna, Texas, with character changes faster than a tumbleweed in a tornado. This wild ride of a Christmas comedy is as broad as the Rio Grande and as festive as tinsel in your hair. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Scott Fitzgerald returns to reprise his role from last year’s production of “A Tuna Christmas.” Following a 30-year national career in radio, Scott is the president of The Podcast Authority and has a B.A. in theatre from Indiana University. He has starred in Civic plays including “The Crucible,” “The Velocity of Autumn,” and “Outside Mullingar,” and serves as host and moderator of the Drinks With the Director series. 

Paul Pierce joins us from Georgia, where he has performed in all four of the “Tuna” comedies–including 200 performances of “A Tuna Christmas” alone. In 2023, he retired after 35 years as producing artistic director of the Springer Opera House in Columbus, Georgia. A Rome, Georgia native with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama and Theatre from the University of Georgia, Paul has produced more than 400 productions in his career, 300 of these at the Springer Opera House. He is the former associate artistic director of the Repertory Theatre of America, the former managing director of Virginia’s Wayside Theatre, and the former producing artistic director of the Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi.

“A Tuna Christmas” is directed by Greg Thompson. Scenic designer is Kaden Reynard. Costume designer is Amanda Jones. Lighting designer is Cheyenne Dever. Sound designer is Jazmine Whipple. Props designer is Courtney Curtis. Props manager is Devon Currie. Stage manager is Wayne T. Dilts.

“A Tuna Christmas” is live on stage to ring in the holidays (with more cowbell) from December 3-14 at Ocala Civic Theatre. There will be 12 performances: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The show is rated PG.

Tickets are $35-$40 for adults and $17-20 for ages 18 and younger, based on seating section, at ocalacivictheatre.com. Purchase tickets through the Civic box office in person or over the phone at (352) 236-2274, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.