Theater lovers can enjoy dinner, live entertainment and laughs, and help out a good cause, at an upcoming dinner theater performance.

The Southern comedy "Rex’s Exes" will be performed at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, 8100 Bobby Williams Parkway. A Thanksgiving-themed dinner of turkey, dressing, sweet potato soufflé, green beans, rolls and dessert will precede the performance at 6 p.m.

The event is a fundraiser for Relay for Life and is being put on by the Caldwell and Cowan Relay team. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Caldwell and Cowan Funeral Home’s two locations, by calling 770-786-706, or by emailing co-organizer Scott Ellis at scott.e@caldwellandcowan.com. Tickets can be purchased for individual seats or entire tables of eight seats; patrons who call first will have first choice of seats. After food expenses are covered, all proceeds will benefit Relay for Life.

Scott and his wife Ronda Ellis organized a dinner theater performance last year and had such great attendance and feedback that they decided to have two performances this year.

"The community went overboard," Scott said, noting that Relay for Life team spent about $600-$700 on food and received almost all of that money back in tips left at the tables.

"The actors wanted to do it again, and we’ve had people call all year long," Ronda said.

All of the performers are from Newton County, and many are cancer survivors, which makes this fundraising production all the more meaningful for them, Scott said. Also returning is director Gina Hay Bryan, who has performed in several productions in metro Atlanta.

All the actors and the director are donating their time. Ronda estimated volunteer time, including rehearsals, set-up, service and tear-down, could add up to around 500 hours.

The play is another in the popular series about the eccentric Verdeen cousins, written by popular playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and "The Golden Girls" TV series writer Jamie Wooten.

"Rex’s Exes" tells the story of cousins Peaches and Jimmie Wyvette Verdeen’s efforts to plan a surprise 50th birthday party for their cousin Gaynelle, until a death in the family throws a wrench into their plans and some unexpected guests show up to wreak havoc, according to the description.

Last year’s play, "Red Velvet Cake Wars," featured the same Verdeen cousins of Sweetgum, Texas, but Ronda said the two storylines are not dependent on each other, so those who didn’t see the first play won’t have trouble following the "Rex’s Exes" plot.

For those who did see the previous play, there is an interesting twist.

Last year’s event raised $8,000, and Ellis hopes to double proceeds this year.

Scott thanked GPTC for its help, as the college allows its auditorium to be used for free and blocked out two complete weeks for the theater to allow for easier set-up. The catering work is also being done for free.

Each show will have 304 seats, but last year’s show sold out two weeks prior to the performance, Ronda said.