GTA to Stage Ancient Drama ANTIGONE, Beginning 2/13

Continuing its 35th Anniversary season and as part of its annual February Festival of plays, the Gainesville Theatre Alliance is producing its very first Ancient Greek drama for the MainStage, Sophocles' Antigone. The original heroine's fight to preserve her family's honor opens Feb. 13th at University of North Georgia's Ed Cabell Theatre (3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood).

During his time (approx. 497-406 BCE), Sophocles was the most awarded of the three main tragedians and is one of the four Ancient Greek playwrights whose works have survived up until today. Most famously he is known for his Theban trilogy, which follows the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, and concludes with the fate of his offspring in GTA's production of Antigone. The daughter of Oedipus, Antigone is an unconventional heroine who pits her beliefs against the new king of Thebes in a bloody test of wills that leaves few unharmed. Emotions fly as she challenges the king for the right to bury her own brother.

The Gainesville Theatre Alliance is a nationally acclaimed collaboration between University of North Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals and the Northeast Georgia community.

Resident Director, UNG Professor of Theatre, and head of the BFA Acting program at the Gainesville Theatre Alliance is Elisa Carlson, who most recently finished work as a dialect trainer for the feature-film Selma, which has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Carlson has both directed and acted in past MainStage seasons for GTA. Her directing credits include Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Night's Dream and the classical shows for the past two incarnations of GTA's biennial Repertory Company. Patrons may have seen her act in last year's The Glass Menagerie or in 2012's The Grapes of Wrath.

When asked about the nature of Greek tragedy Carlson expounds that "it feels more immediate, more of this time and place, than many plays of the last 25 years. Complex issues of family as well as political leadership and citizenship are explored in Antigone that correspond directly to questions we may grapple with today." Carlson's vision for the play includes "immers[ing] the audience in the beauty, intellect and high physical and emotional stakes of the people of Ancient Greece," as well as "help[ing] them to draw parallels between the experience of life then and now."

GTA is welcoming several guest artists to the MainStage this year for Antigone. Choreographing the classic Greek chorus is Carl Flink, the artistic director of the MN-based modern dance company Black Label Movement. Although this is his first time choreographing for GTA he has collaborated with Carlson on Greek before during her time as a resident director at MN-based Guthrie Theatre's BFA Acting program. Flink's awards include a 2014 MN Sage Award, 2012 and 2008 McKnight Fellowships for Choreography, a 2012 Regional Emmy Award, and more.

When confronted about the unique challenges and opportunities of the show, Flink admits that he is "a choreographer deeply committed to physical risk-taking [...] Antigone is a play that screams for movement that challenges both the performers and audience because of the violent world in which it takes place. The key is working with the cast to find the trust and buy-in to go into those dark holes and emerge on the other side with work that will move and fully engage audiences' bodies and minds."

"The actors won't be wearing masks, or Greek attire, or acting in a way that feels formal or stuffy. Greek plays were something very new and cutting-edge in their day and the production will be inspired by that, while being very true to the text and the story," says director Elisa Carlson.

Along with challenging, modern choreography, GTA has also brought in two award-winning professional designers to help construct an ancient world while retaining an air of modernity and relevancy. Suzi Bass Award-winner Kat Conley, an associate artist for Actor's Express and the charge scenic artist for the Alliance Theatre, has crafted a visceral set succeeding in physically challenging the performers and getting them dirty.

Suzi Bass Award-winner Sydney Roberts, who first heard about GTA through her connections with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, is the costume designer for Antigone. "I know the cast will be climbing the set and on the floor a lot. It makes a big difference in how I choose to dress everyone. I want clothes that tell the story and describe the world we are creating, but the clothes also have to allow for complete freedom of movement. They must move well in themselves, and enhance the choreography, and they must be washable!" says Roberts, when asked about the challenges in designing the costumes for the show.

Other familiar faces to GTA audiences include lighting designer Terry Becker and student sound designer Rob Brooksher, a UNG senior who will graduate in May with a BFA in Technical Theatre. Both designers are working to create the unique atmosphere that will encompass the actors and audience.

North Georgia patrons will be transported back to the visceral world of Ancient Greece starting Feb. 13th at University of North Georgia's Ed Cabell Theatre in the Continuing Education/Performing Arts Building (3820 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood). The other half of GTA's February Festival, Tony-award winning, contemporary musical In the Heights, performs at Brenau's Hosch Theatre (429 Academy St., Gainesville) Feb. 10-21. Both shows are rated PG-13.

The play runs Feb. 13-21 with a $10 general admission preview on Thursday, Feb. 12th. Tickets for all other performances range from $12 to $20. Patrons can select their own seats at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the GTA Box Office at 678-717-3624. Group reservations (at a 20% discount) are available by calling the Box Office.

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