Ferrum, VA, September 26, 2025 — Ferrum College alumna Christina Boyd Holland ’99 has produced a one-woman show, Girl of the Holler, which she performed in several locations this summer. It was nominated for an award by the 6th Annual All The Laughs (ATL) Comedy Festival and Awards Show in Atlanta. A filmed version of Holland’s show will stream online during and after the festival, from September 26 to October 16.
Holland’s memoir show is a frank but humorous story about growing up in a small Appalachian town with mental health problems and a moonshiner father. Her husband and director Peter Holland wrote that he “couldn’t be prouder of her work as a writer and performer in this deeply personal yet universal piece.”
Girl of the Holler was filmed at the Arts Place in Danbury, NC in May by Brian Johnson. Tickets for streaming the one-hour show through October 16 are available from ATL for $7 at this link. Virtual All Access tickets are also available for those interested in viewing more than one ATL show. Because the show’s themes include substance abuse, violence, childhood trauma, and grief, with some adult language, Girl of the Holler is recommended for mature audiences only.
Holland graduated from Ferrum College in 1999 with a B.A. in Fine Arts and concentrations in theatre and music. She performed with the Jack Tale Players and the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre at Ferrum under the direction of Dr. Rex Stephenson. During her career as a teacher at South Stokes High School, NC, and Patrick County High School, VA, she taught Django Burgess, a current junior in the Music and Theatre program, and Rachel Blankenship-Tucker, who has performed and assisted with music and theatre productions since she was first hired by the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre for the summer season in 2010.
Christina and Peter Holland produce original plays for adults and young people in their own theatre company, Once Upon a Blue Ridge. They have been serving audiences across the Carolinas and Virginia for twenty years with adaptations of folktales and classic stories, educational shows, and interactive workshops.
Holland performed Girl of the Holler at The Arts Place of Stokes in Danbury, NC on May 31, at the Cherry Orchard Theatre in Ararat, VA on August 8 and 9, and in her hometown at the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair on August 16. The Cherry Orchard Theatre described Holland as “one of our region’s treasures, a longtime performer, teacher, writer who brings wisdom and delight to anyone in her sphere,” characterizing the show as “evocative, inspiring, and not pulling punches.”
“We are so very proud of Christina Boyd Holland ’99 and her one-woman show Girl of the Holler,” said Ferrum College President Mirta Martin. “To see her powerful storytelling, woven with both humor and heart, now reaching wider audiences through the All the Laughs Festival, is a joy for the entire Ferrum family. Christina’s success is a testament to the talent and resilience of our alumni, and the power of a Ferrum College education.”
A free preview of Girl of the Holler is available at this link in Vimeo.
