The Gainesville Theatre Alliance Brings Vienna to Gainesville in THE KISS

Within the halls of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria, is a museum, and within that museum is one of the most famous paintings in the world: Gustav Klimpt's "The Kiss". The Kiss is an original, lighthearted examination of the fascinating characters inside of the paintings at the Belvedere, as well as those admiring them. Join us for the artistic, absurd, absorbing premiere of The Kiss, Friday, April 12, at 7:30 pm in Brenau's Downtown Center, 301 Main St SW, Gainesville, GA 30501.

In this world premiere production, the one-act play explores the wonders of human connection between the various patrons at the Belvedere museum. The play occurs in front of Gustav Klimt's famous painting of "The Kiss", with occasional forays into the developing friendship between the two night guards protecting it.

GTA is the first theatre to ever produce The Kiss, which is the second show in their FREE Discovery Series, a series of performances dedicated to showcasing more experimental work. The Gainesville Theatre Alliance is a nationally-acclaimed collaboration between the University of North Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals, and the northeast Georgia community.

The Kiss is an original one act play, written by Helena Scholz-Carlson, a recent graduate from Northwestern University. Her inspiration to write about this painting in particular came from the ambiguity that she felt as she continued to study it herself. "I think what intrigues me most about [the painting] is that it feels fairly simple and straightforward when I first look at it, but the longer I look the more questions I have," Scholz-Carlson muses.

"It's a famous image that shows up all over the place, but it's also very weird. As you'll see in the play, I'm particularly obsessed with how strangely twisted over the two figures' necks are. It's also a particularly great piece to use to explore different characters' viewpoints. It's open to interpretation and invites discussion of everything from romantic relationships to the purpose of visual art. I think that what you think about a painting can say a lot about who you are as a person." The Kiss explores this idea at length, with everyone from seasoned art admirers to distraught ex-girlfriends, and even to snarky high schoolers contributing their two cents about the painting.

The Kiss was first discovered at the Horizon Theatre's New South Young Playwrights Festival. YPF is an annual festival in Atlanta, where college or high school-aged playwrights attend workshops and shows, culminating in a professional reading of their work. Amelia Fischer, the director of The Kiss, helped run YPF last summer, when Scholz-Carlson participated, and fell in love with the script upon reading it. "We get characters of all different ages, backgrounds, and opinions about the painting and life," says Fischer. "This play really has something for everyone."

Guest artist Dan Reichard, who plays an older man in the play named Martin, adds; "The natural progression of the scenes is the kind of roadmap you hope for as an actor."

The Kiss was inspired by Gustav Klimt's famous, 1907 painting of the same name. The art piece gained infamy for its beautiful portrayal of emotion through color and form. This mesmerizing symphony of color and technique was radical for the 1900's, and remains an iconic painting today, appearing in homes, as well as on socks, paintings, tote bags, etc. (as complained about by Charlie in the play.) It has been theorized that "The Kiss" draws upon inspiration from endless art movements, including Art Nouveau, "gold ground" paintings, the Bronze Age, Japanese art prints, and the fin-de-siecle spirit, among numerous others. The Kiss's ambiguity was perfect for Scholz-Carlson, who sought to explore structure and pattern in scripts, and all the ways to play within those arrangements. "The Kiss" hangs in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna, Austria, which is also the setting of The Kiss.

Of the painting, Reichard muses; "Like most 'masterpieces', seeing the original painting in Vienna versus an image in a book is startling. It practically leaps off the wall at you. Maybe it is the size, almost six feet square. Maybe it is Klimt's use of gold. But combined with the image of the lovers the piece as a whole seems to resonate with our own idealized and longed for desires and loves. For me, the painting captures the sheltering moment of true romantic love."

Though Reichard's character isn't the type to debate fine art, the others in the Belvedere are. One of the main voices of the show, Maggie, even attempts to touch the painting. "I don't know if she should touch it," Scholtz-Carlson says. "I don't know. But I know why she wants to." Fischer adds; "I personally think what Klimt captures so well in the woman's face is that secret, delicate kind of happiness we feel when no one is watching."

The painting's voice is so strong that Scholz-Carlson brought it to life. Student Alison Gibson plays "the Woman", whose timeless, wisecracking wisdom spills out of the painting and into the museum to converse with its occupants. Costumes designer, Zhaklyn Stoyanova, has her work cut out for her. Gibson and her dress will be elaborately painted and airbrushed each night to blend seamlessly with the painting in a technical feat that shouldn't be missed.

Theatre, art and history lovers alike will fall head over heels for The Kiss. "Art, in all its forms, has the power to awaken unrealized universals in each of us," says Reichard. "Things that may have been abandoned, long forgotten or lost along the way. As humans we all deal with the same hopes, joys, and sorrows. If love and compassion are the goal... maybe they can draw us together rather than pull us apart."

The Kiss, in both painting and play, is about human connection. Fischer says; "Throughout the play our characters are striving to deepen their relationships, with themselves and with each other. It takes courage to risk being shut out but, as I hope this play will prove, life is so much richer when you can embrace yourself, your feelings and the people on this journey with you."

The Kiss performs at 7:30pm, April 12-15 at Brenau University's Downtown Center, 301 Main St SW, Gainesville, GA 30501. Performances are free of charge, with general admission seating on a first-come-first-seated basis. Patrons can receive vouchers beginning at 6:30pm the night of each performance to guarantee their seats. The theatre doors will open at approximately 7:10pm. Questions can be directed to the Box Office, 678.717.3624, Monday - Friday from 10 am to 4 pm.

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