Gamut Theatre Education Center to Hold Ribbon Cutting And Open House

Gamut Theatre Group is excited to announce the Grand Opening of the recently renovated, 10,000 square foot Gamut Theatre Education Center. The center features the Alexander Grass Second Stage, two renovated classrooms, and technical teaching shops for students to learn about costume construction, scenery design, sound and lighting, and more. Its new four-stop elevator and outdoor access will make this space fully accessible and ADA-compliant. The new stage will be the permanent home for the Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre, as well as the Stage Door Series Ensemble and Gamut Theatre Academy. One of the Unique Features of the center is a wall-to-wall mural painted by local artist Jacintha Clark.

"I can't wait for everyone to see the beautiful wall mural that Jacintha Clark has painted," said Executive Director, Melissa Nicholson. "We wanted to invoke the feeling of being inside a storybook - not necessarily a children's book, but the setting of a classic tale that can be used as a backdrop for the many different kinds of presentations that Gamut Theatre conducts. Jacintha innately understood that and captured it magnificently!"

The public is invited for the Grand Opening at 15 N. 4th Street in Downtown Harrisburg on Monday, August 6th from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Gamut will kick off the event at 11:00 with a ribbon cutting in front of the new ADA-accessible entrance to the Education Center located on Strawberry Street. Students from Gamut's education programs will be joined by Representative Patty Kim to cut the ribbon, officially opening the center to the public. Inside, there will be a short program on the Alexander Grass Second Stage, featuring Elizabeth Grass-Weese, a director of The Alexander Grass Foundation and Brad Winnick, Gamut's Board President. Following the presentation, the facility will be open for tours and there will be refreshments in the Capital Blue Cross Lobby.

"Gamut will finally be able to expand its programming to meet the demands of the community and provide more educational offerings. Additionally, the space will be available to rent as an affordable alternative to the larger downtown presentation venues," said Nicholson.

Funding for the center was led by anchor grants from the Impact Harrisburg Foundation, the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, and Dauphin County. Gamut has steadily been raising funds for Phase II for the past two years and kicked off a public fundraising campaign March 1 to raise the remaining 13% ($88,000) of costs.

The inaugural production on the new Alexander Grass Second Stage will be Choose Your Own Play: HIJACKED! running August 9-19, 2018. Based on the book by Rick Brightfield and adapted by local artist David Ramón Zayas, HIJACKED! utilizes the same team that created the wildly successful production of Choose Your Own Adventure The Play: Space Vampire, performed in Gamut's Capital Blue Cross Lobby in 2017. HIJACKED! is an audience participation show for all ages!

Gamut Theatre Group is the combined company of Popcorn Hat Players Children's Theatre and Harrisburg Shakespeare Company. Located in Downtown, Harrisburg their mission is to tell classic stories in new and exciting ways for the entertainment and enlightenment of children and adults alike. gamuttheatre.org