GTA's 2/2 Stage Tour to Show Stage “Magic” and “Much Ado” Happening to Delight Audiences with Shakespearean Comedy

Beginning on Valentine's Day, northeast theatre-goers will listen in on secret and hilarious conversations at a costume ball, a grand courtyard, a jail and a wedding celebration that appear and disappear in the intimate space of UNG-Gainesville's Ed Cabell Theatre. And at 6pm, Feb. 2, GTA will offer a free peek behind the scenes to see the layers of design, direction and performance that make one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies seem like a simple, delightful romp.

It's all part of the fun for the Gainesville Theatre Alliance's annual February Festival which features two plays performing simultaneously, this year Feb. 14-25. The Feb. 2 Stage Tour of Much Ado About Nothing will feature director and UNG professor ELisa Carlson and include cameos by set, costume and lighting designers showcasing the research and inspirations for creating new and vivid memories of the classic play. GTA, a 37-year collaboration between the University of North Georgia and Brenau University, will offer a Stage Tour two days earlier of the other play on the Festival, Godspell, which will perform on the Brenau campus.

In Much Ado About Nothing, lovers Hero and Claudio conspire to set a "lover's trap" for Benedick, an arrogant confirmed bachelor, and Beatrice, his favorite sparring partner, while they look forward to their own wedding, just a week away. Other conspirators work to run the wedding plans off the rails and odd characters turn up to stick their stinky feet into the works, while patrons secretly listen in and wonder how things can possibly get untangled.

While the Stage Tour is free, tickets for each production range from $12 to $26 depending on seat location and can be purchased on the website, www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org, or by calling the GTA Box Office at 678-717-3624, Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm.

Patrons are advised not to dally, as GTA's most recent musical production of Beauty and the Beast sold out every performance weeks before opening day.