GTA's February Festival Of Theatre Offers Both Inane British Comedy And Irreverent Singing Puppets

When the Gainesville Theatre Alliance invented its February Festival of Theatre nine years ago, their aim was to include more modern scripts which traditionally have smaller casts. In order to provide enough opportunities for the emerging theatre artists they train as the Theatre Dept. for both UNG and Brenau University, producing modern scripts meant doing two different shows at once. Northeast Georgia theatre patrons benefit since it also means that there's something for everyone in the audience as well, as seen in this year's two Festival productions: Avenue Q and Monstrous Regiment.

Avenue Q is a musical, Sesame Street-style comedic approach to numerous adult, coming-of-age topics. The production, notable for its use of puppets animated by unconcealed puppeteers alongside human actors, beat out Wicked to win the Tony Award for best musical in 2003. There will be a free, one-hour Stage Tour for this show at 6pm, Jan. 30, at Brenau's Hosch Theatre (429 Academy St., Gainesville) and the play runs Feb. 13-24.

Monstrous Regiment, a British fantasy farce, in the vein of Monty Python or Blackadder television comedies, is based on a book by celebrated English fantasy writer Sir Terry Pratchett. In the absurd Pratchett world of Borogravia, a young woman disguises herself as a man and joins the perpetually embattled national army to find her brother. And while she works to keep her identity a secret, she finds that nothing in the army is what it seems. The free Stage Tour for Monstrous Regiment takes place at 6pm, Feb. 1, at UNG-Gainesville's Ed Cabell Theatre (3820 Mundy Mill Rd, Oakwood), with performances Feb. 16-24.

New this season, GTA has developed two pre-opening events to give the community a taste of what is in store for each production. At 2:30pm, Jan. 27, Monstrous Regiment director Gay H. Hammond will host a discussion "The British Sense of Silly!," at Rooster's Perch Books & Coffee (210 Bradford St. NW, Gainesville), and at 1:30pm on Feb. 1, the Avenue Q cast will have a Sing-through Rehearsal at Left Nut Brewing (2100 Atlanta Hwy, Gainesville). Both events are free to the public.

Tickets for each show are $12-24, depending on patron age and seat location, and can be purchased online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at 678.717.3624, Monday - Friday from 10am to 4pm. Online patrons can select their own seats, and MasterCard, Visa and Discover are accepted. Both productions also offer a discounted Preview night, on Monday, Feb. 12, for Avenue Q (tickets $13) and a Monstrous Regiment Preview on Thursday, Feb.15, (tickets $10) for which tickets go on sale Jan. 29.

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