ROCK SPRINGS — Before “Gone with the Wind” set box office records, the production threatened to go up in flames like Confederate Atlanta. 

The upcoming Actors’ Mission production of “Moonlight and Magnolias” tells the mostly true story of how a desperate movie producer tossed the script, fired the director, and formed a new team to frantically crank out a new story in a week.

Shows start at 7 p.m. Oct. 1-4 and 2 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at Rock Springs High School. Admission is free and a complimentary meal will be served one hour before the play starts.

Watch the comedy unfold as a risk-taking producer, prodigious screenwriter, and pioneering director get locked in a room where they cannot leave until a new script for the Civil War epic is finished. With the halted movie production losing thousands every day and the producer limiting their intake to “brain food” only, will their crazed, peanut-and-banana-fueled bender be enough to make Hollywood history?

Those unfamiliar with “Gone with the Wind” shouldn’t worry. Since the new screenwriter is unacquainted with the story, the play depicts the producer and director acting out key scenes. As they work to turn a melodrama into a masterpiece, they also discuss issues of race, nationalism, conflicting expectations of art, and the magic of movies.

The cast features Aaron Volner as producer David O. Selznick, Caleb Michael Smith as writer Ben Hecht, Blain Myers as director Victor Fleming, and Lydia Gomez as secretary Miss Poppenghul. Director Roy O. Hansen is assisted by Deb Jensen and Heather E. Pristash.

Longtime Actor’s Mission followers may remember the 2010 production of the play. Multiple members of that team have returned to bring the show to a new audience. Volner reprises his role as the man with the money willing to gamble everything on the movie.

“Revisiting the character of David Selznick has been a fun and rewarding challenge. Like becoming reacquainted with an old friend after many years, and learning the ways you both have changed. The words are the same, but a lot has happened in life to inform them over the last 16 years,” Volner said.

The director from the original Actors’ Mission play has returned as well. 

“I am excited to be bringing this show back after 16 years. It is a humorous take on a historical event about a movie most people, excluding my cast, know,” Hansen joked.

Actress Gomez has a personal connection to the story that inspired the play.

“Being in a production centered around the movie ‘Gone with the Wind’ has a special meaning for me. ‘Gone with the Wind’ was my dad’s favorite movie, and since his passing, finding ways to connect to him has been hard. Playing in this production has helped bring him closer to me even though my character is fictional. Every practice has helped bring him further into my day. I can’t express my gratitude for that blessing,” she said.

The play will be performed at the Rock Springs High School auditorium on 1375 James Drive, which allows the Actors’ Mission to continue its tradition to “feed the body – nourish the mind.” People who arrive early to the free show can enjoy a free meal. 

“It is exciting to be in a place that values local artists and places an emphasis on the community when it comes to community theater,” Smith said. 

The Actors’ Mission notes that the show includes disturbing historical references, occasional sexual references, and strong language.