Gainesville Theatre Alliance Announces the 2017-2018 Season
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 27, 2017
Tickets go on sale July 1 for the Gainesville Theatre Alliance's (GTA) new theatrical season which will take patrons on adventures in the neighborhood, in deepest, darkest India and to war zones in Ancient Greece and into a fantasy kingdom.
GTA is a nationally acclaimed collaboration of the University of North Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals and the northeast Georgia community that has yielded state and national awards.
Over 97 percent of the 2016-17 season performances were sold out as patrons were dazzled by unforgettable storytelling and high production values made possible by this hybrid professional company/theatre training program. The upcoming season promises nothing less, with resident and guest theatre professionals directing, acting and designing alongside GTA's talented college theatre students.
Adventurers wanting to join GTA for live storytelling can purchase seats to an individual show or build custom ticket packages, getting discounts for 2 shows or more, by choosing the shows, dates and even seats they'd like by going online after June 30 at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the GTA Box Office (678-717-3624). The season's shows include:
WonderQuest: GTA for Young Audiences presents:
Jungle Book
By Gay H. Hammond, based on the book by Rudyard Kipling
In Brenau University's Historic Pearce Auditorium, 500 Centennial Circle, Gainesville
FREE Stage Tour (sneak peek behind the scenes!), 6pm, Sept. 19, 2017
FREE Meet-the Actors Reception following the Family Performance at 7:30pm, Sept. 29, 2017
FREE Ice-cream Social following the 2:30pm family performance on Oct. 1, 2017
Marvelous Monkey Jungle Party (a pre-show jungle bash) at 6:30pm on Oct. 6 & 7, 2017
Family Performances: 7:30pm, Sept. 29 & 30, Oct. 6 & 7; 2:30pm, Oct. 1, 2017
School Matinees: 9:30 and 11:30am, Sept. 29 & 30, Oct. 4-6, 2017
Come to deepest, darkest India and meet the Man-cub Mowgli, his funny, faithful friends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther in their adventure to discover which is best: the Law of Man or the Law of the Jungle? Mowgli must use both to try to save his animal friends and himself from the wrath of Shere Khan, the most feared of all! Filled with the beautiful language of Rudyard Kipling's poems and stories. Rated G
Family performance tickets are $12-15 for adults and seniors, $8-10 for students and children, depending on seat location. School matinee tickets are available for school groups of 10 or more at $6 for students/$8 chaperones (teachers are free!). Tickets to the Marvelous Monkey Jungle Party, before the Oct. 6 and 7 family shows are $5 and sold separately from performance tickets. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
And on the GTA MainStage:
Crazy for You
Book by Ken Ludwig, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and Music by George Gershwin at Brenau's Hosch Theatre in the John S. Burd Center, 429 Academy Street, Gainesville
FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes!): 6pm, Oct. 24, 2017
Performances: 7:30pm, Nov. 7-11 and 14-18, 2017; 2:30pm, Nov. 12 & 18, 2017
FREE Opening Night Reception after the Nov. 7 performance
Talk Back with the Cast & Crew: a lively (and free) Q&A session following the performance on Tuesday, Nov 14, 2017
When a young New York banker is sent to the sleepy town of Deadrock, Nevada to foreclose a rundown theatre, his heart and life are turned upside down by a spitfire hometown girl. Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows - through cunning, razzmatazz, and a hilarious case of mistaken identity - to save the theatre and win Polly's love. This hilarious song-and-dance extravaganza features the Gershwin classics, "I've Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," and "Embraceable You." TONY Award winner for Best Musical! Rated PG
Tickets are $28-30 for adults, $26-28 for seniors and $18-20 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
A February Festival of Theatre with TWO shows:
Avenue Q
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
at Brenau's Hosch Theatre in the John S. Burd Center, 429 Academy Street, Gainesville
FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes!): 6pm, Jan. 30, 2018
Performances: 7:30pm, Feb. 13-17, 20-24, 2018; 2:30pm, Feb. 18 & 24, 2018
FREE Opening Night Reception catered by 2Dog Café after the Feb. 13 performance
A racy mix between South Park and Sesame Street, part flesh, part felt and packed with heart, AVENUE Q won the TONY "TRIPLE CROWN" for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book and is still the funniest show in New York City! This laugh-out-loud musical tells the timeless story of a bright-eyed college grad named Princeton who arrives in the city with big dreams and a tiny bank account. He has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on AVENUE Q where he meets Kate (the girl next door), Lucy (the slut), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the pervert), superintendent Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) and other new friends! Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life. Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Rated R
Tickets are $24-26 for adults, $22-24 for seniors and $14-16 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
Monstrous Regiment
By Terry Pratchett adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs
at UNG-Gainesville's Ed Cabell Theatre, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes!): 6pm, Feb. 1, 2018
Performances: 7:30pm, Feb. 16,18, 20-24, 2018; 2:30pm, Feb. 17 & 24, 2018
FREE Opening Night Reception catered by ACE Catering after the Feb. 16 performance
Borogravia is at war. Again. Based on 31st novel the (Sir) Terry Pratchett's wildly popular Discworld series, Monstrous Regiment is a wickedly funny look at the absurdities of war and ambiguities of identity. When Polly Perks' brother goes missing in action, she cuts off her hair, stuffs a sock down her breeches and enlists, hoping to find him. Finding she passes surprisingly successfully as a young man, Polly soon discovers that she's not alone in protecting a secret and that nothing in the improbable war is as it appears. Rated PG13
Tickets are $18-20 for adults, $16-18 for seniors and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
And the stunning springtime season finale:
The Odyssey
Adapted for the stage by Mary Zimmerman, based on the epic poem of Homer
at UNG-Gainesville's Ed Cabell Theatre, 3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
FREE Stage Tour (a peek behind the scenes!): 6pm, Mar. 27, 2018
Performances: 7:30 pm, April 10-14 and 17-21, 2018; 2:30pm, April 15 & 21, 2018
FREE Opening Night Reception catered by Avocados after the April 10 performance
In the Odyssey, playwright Mary Zimmerman, who kept us spellbound with a parade of mythological characters in Metamorphoses, tackles Homer's epic story of the warrior Odysseus, and his arduous 10-year journey home from the Trojan War. Come on the journey if you dare, as the gods spar with each other creating fantastic, threatening monsters and opportunities for escape, as Odysseus perseveres to be reunited with his dear Penelope, and whose son, now grown up without a father, struggles to defend his mother from a mob of suitors who would claim Odysseus' land and family in Ithaca. There is a reason old maps often said "this way monsters go!" Rated PG
Tickets are $18-20 for adults, $16-18 for seniors and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Select your own seats online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624.
This season also includes two GTA Discovery Series offerings: Secret in the Wings by Mary Zimmerman, to be performed Nov. 10-13, 2017, directed by Zechariah Pierce; and Fuente Ovejuna by Lope De Vega Apr. 4-7, 2018 directed by ELisa Carlson. Discovery Series performances are free of charge, with general admission seating on a first-come-first-seated basis ~ check the GTA website for details: www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org
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