A Parking‑Lot Pilgrimage Turns Chaotic in Horizon Theatre’s ‘Holy Chicken Sandwich’

Horizon Theatre’s newest comedy, Holy Chicken Sandwich, takes a familiar American ritual—the grand opening of a fast‑food restaurant—and pushes it to gloriously theatrical extremes. Written by award‑winning Atlanta playwright Kira Rockwell, the play gathers 100 die‑hard devotees of the fictional Holy Chicken Grail chain for an overnight campout in a parking lot, all hoping to win a year of free fried chicken combos. What begins as a corporate celebration quickly unravels into a night of suspicion, revelation and chicken‑fried pandemonium.

Instead of a typical fast‑food grand opening, Holy Chicken Sandwich explodes the event into a full‑blown overnight pilgrimage, where 100 superfans pitch tents, chant brand slogans, and treat fried chicken like sacred ritual. As the night deepens, the parking lot transforms into a surreal battleground of devotion: influencers livestream meltdowns, YouTubers stir up conspiracies, and employees scramble to keep order as factions form and loyalties fracture. Five actors morph constantly into an entire pantheon of “Chicken Gods,” appearing as mothers, widows, corporate leaders, viral personalities and even mythic poultry figures. The result is a world where a simple promotional giveaway becomes an epic, chaotic, and hilariously heightened spectacle — the kind of big, imaginative storytelling only live theatre can pull off.

At the center of the story is Jade, the newly appointed store manager tasked with keeping the crowd happy and the event under control. She arrives ready to shepherd her flock of “Grailers” through a night of tents, sleeping bags and brand loyalty. But as the hours tick by, strange disruptions ripple through the gathering. Influencers clash with employees, YouTubers stir up drama, and long‑buried tensions among the campers begin to surface. Jade soon realizes that something is deeply off—and that someone in the crowd may be working against the celebration itself.

The play’s comedic engine is its shape‑shifting ensemble, who transform rapidly among the many characters Jade encounters. Five actors portray the mysterious “Chicken Gods”—Wing, Tenderloin, Gizzard, Thigh and Drumstick—who slip in and out of roles ranging from a reluctant mother baffled by her daughter’s devotion, to a Pentecostal widow, to a middle‑aged ASMR YouTuber, to a viral internet personality. Their constant metamorphosis gives the play a buoyant theatricality, turning the parking lot into a surreal world where brand loyalty becomes myth, ritual and near‑religious fervor.

Rockwell uses the absurdity of a fast‑food campout to explore deeper questions about belief, group identity and the fine line between devotion and fanaticism. As loyalties fracture and opposing camps emerge, the crowd becomes increasingly convinced that the “other side” is the problem—a cheeky reflection of the divisions that shape contemporary life. The comedy’s escalating chaos is matched by moments of heart, revealing how shared values can unite people even as they scramble to opposite ends of the parking lot.

Director Lisa Adler, Horizon’s Co‑Artistic Director, leans into the play’s blend of humor and humanity, orchestrating rapid transformations and reality‑bending moments with the help of Horizon’s resident designers Isabel and Moriah Curley‑Clay (scenic) and Mary Parker (lighting). The production’s ensemble staging and quick character shifts give the show a lively, unpredictable rhythm, while the design team builds a world that moves fluidly between corporate celebration, campout absurdity and mythic chicken lore.

Rockwell, originally from Texas and now based in Atlanta, has quickly become one of the region’s most distinctive theatrical voices. Her work has been produced nationally, and Atlanta audiences may know her from Actor’s Express’ acclaimed 2023 production of Oh, to Be Pure Again, which earned her the Gene‑Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award. She teaches playwriting and screenwriting at Kennesaw State University and was recently featured in American Theatre magazine as an artist to watch.

CAST

Alexander Anderson (Drumstick, Nicky)
Myles Evans* (Thigh, Kevin, Husband, Secretary)
Cara Mantella* (Jade)
Marcie Millard (Wing, Mother, Widow, ASMR YouTuber, Beggar Woman)
Brad Raymond* (Gizzard, Grandpa, Mr. True, Tik Tok Pops)
Alejandra Ruiz (Tenderloin, Daughter, Wife, Influencer, Secretary)

(*Member of Actors’ Equity Association)

Holy Chicken Sandwich runs Aug. 21–Sept. 19, 2026, with a press opening on Aug. 28. Performances take place at Horizon Theatre Company. For tickets and more information, visit horizontheatre.com or call 404.584.7450.