Over the decades, the Turnage Theater has hosted award-winning performers, down-home musicians and movies galore, but this weekend the theater will play host to an entirely different cast: a film crew.

Starting Saturday morning and continuing into the evening, Royal Realm Productions, a Swansboro-based production company, will film scenes of a full-length romantic comedy called “Holey Matrimony,” set in 1948.

Production team members liked the look of the Turnage’s exterior to set the ‘40s scene, but once they got a look inside, they were hooked, said Joey Toler, executive director of the Beaufort County Arts Council.

“They were won over by the marquee, of course, since the film takes place in the ‘40s,” Toler said. “Originally, they only wanted the exterior shots, but when they saw the interior of the theater, they decided to film another major scene inside the theater.”

The excitement at filming at the Turnage is evident on the movie’s Facebook page: Holey Matrimony News! The premiere scene in Holey Matrimony of our movie star characters’ role will be filmed at a historic 100-year-old theater that became a movie house in the early years of the twentieth century. It has its original antique marquee! The big news, the marquee will be brilliantly lit with our premiere movie title, ‘Sudden Desire,’ with the name of our movie star in lights, ‘Jason Powell.’ Can’t wait to see it!”

The Turnage isn’t the only local feature of the movie, Toler said. Classic car enthusiasts Preston Turner and Stanley Hudson, as well as the classic car club Down East Rods & Classics, will be contributing to the 1940s ambiance.

“That’s what they’re going to do, is load up Main Street with all those old cars,” Toler laughed.

According to Royal Realms spokesman Ryan Lassiter, the release date for the film has not yet been determined, but there is a possibility the premiere could be at the Turnage Theater.

“This represents one of the increased opportunities that have become available to the arts council as a result of its move to the Turnage,” Toler said. “It plays to our mission to become a more regional arts center and certainly raises our profile in the region.”