Gainesville Theatre Alliance Announces Spring 2021 Virtual Season

Gainesville Theatre Alliance has announced two digital offerings to close their 2020-21 season. Due to continued COVID-19 restrictions at both Brenau University and the University of North Georgia, both shows will be filmed and edited through a collaboration with UNG's Film Department and streamed to audiences for free.

Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown (his introduction to Broadway) asks the audience to follow a series of individuals into the breach to find something new. Surrounded by guides, the seekers in this song cycle traverse the unknown to find happiness, contentment, and rest-safe in the knowledge that everyone needs some help along the way. With a cast of eighteen rather than Broadway's four, Gainesville Theatre Alliance's take on this experimental production, directed by Tracey Elaine Chessum (GTA Associate Artistic Director and Brenau University Chair of Theatre), seeks to explore the communities that surround us during the journeys of life.

William Shakespeare's The Tempest begins in an abandoned shipwreck, where the characters proceed to 'find the story of the tempest' by searching through the wreckage and discovering the pieces left behind. This production, directed by GTA BFA Acting Program Director and University of North Georgia Associate Professor of Theatre Zechariah Pierce, is an exploration in physical storytelling, particularly through masked (theatrical, not surgical) characterization. The ideas of family, forgiveness, power struggle, innocence, love, and magic are all brought to life through stylized physical humor that only this type of theatre can provide. "This idea of discovering the story also parallels my process as a director," says Pierce, "as I heavily rely on a deep collaboration with my actors and how they interpret the story and their characters."

In a new collaboration with the University of North Georgia's Film & Digital Media department, both performances will be filmed, edited, and released digitally for free to audiences. "There exists a natural fit between film and theatre that both departments at UNG will continue to pursue," says GTA Artistic Director and UNG Head of Theatre Jayme McGhan, "extending even past our production process and moving into collaborations with programs of study." The streaming dates for the digital performances are still to be determined but should be available for viewing around the end of April or the first of May. Interested audiences should follow Gainesville Theatre Alliance on Facebook or Instagram or sign up for the GTA email list at GainesvilleTheatreAlliance.org to be notified of streaming dates. Both shows are rated PG.

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