Month: January 2024

(JAN 22, 2024—GAINESVILLE, GA) Gainesville Theatre Alliance proudly announces its upcoming production of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, directed by Gainesville Theatre Alliance Associate Artistic Director Greg Geffrard. The play will run from February 16-24, 2024, at Brenau University’s Hosch Theatre, located inside the John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts.

Greg Geffrard, an Associate Professor of Theatre at Brenau University, brings a wealth of experience to the director’s chair. Recently nominated for the Kennedy Center Merit Award for Intimacy Direction for his exceptional work on the 2023 production of Silent Sky at the University of Georgia, Geffrard’s directorial vision promises to deliver a thought-provoking and impactful rendition of this classic play.

The Crucible, recipient of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play, unfolds as a gripping historical drama while also serving as a poignant parable for contemporary society. “In this production, I am choosing to highlight two particular things: what makes an outsider and how mass hysteria is born of not necessarily misinformation but from a lack of complete information,” states Geffrard. “This play is essentially a game of telephone gone horribly awry.”

Steeped in historical significance, The Crucible delves into the Puritan purge of witchcraft in colonial Salem, Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693, while simultaneously serving as an allegory for the McCarthy era in the 1950s. Arthur Miller’s narrative draws striking parallels between the historical events, emphasizing the perils of persecution and the repercussions of societal fear.

Tickets for the production range from $16 to $24 and are available for purchase at GainesvilleTheatreAlliance.org or by calling the GTA Box Office at 678-717-3624.

(JAN 17, 2024—GAINESVILLE, GA) In an exciting development for the arts community, Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA) proudly announces a significant sponsorship commitment from the Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation. This marks the beginning of a ten-year partnership that will bolster GTA’s mission of delivering exceptional theatrical performances to enrich the cultural landscape of Gainesville and Hall County.

GTA, a collaborative ensemble uniting the theatre departments of the University of North Georgia and Brenau University, has consistently set the standard for theatrical excellence in the north Georgia region. This year’s donation designates the Ivester Foundation as a sponsor for GTA’s April 2024 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The foundation’s generous sponsorship will continue to support one mainstage show each season over the next decade.

The Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the lives of the people in Gainesville and Hall County, has a rich history of supporting education, scholarship, visual arts, performing arts, parks, and gardens. Their diverse range of contributions includes efforts such as the Ivester Amphitheater, sponsorship of various performances around town, and support for educational institutions.

“The Foundation Directors believe that theatre is an important contributor to the wellbeing of any community. The Foundation is delighted with this new partnership with GTA,” stated Doug Ivester, former CEO of Coca-Cola. “The goals of the MDI/VKI Foundation are long term. The desire of the Foundation is to be a perpetual contributor to Gainesville & Hall County, sponsoring organizations, programs, and people who simply make life in Gainesville special and better.”

“The support of the MDI/VKI Foundation is an immense blessing to our program and a crucial showcase of how the support of our community is what drives our ability to bring what is good, true, and beautiful to our stages,” responded GTA Artistic Director Zechariah Pierce. “We look forward to fostering this relationship in ways that will make this unique university alliance program one that stands out regionally.”

“The Foundation Board hopes that our support will result in bringing theatre to a larger and more diverse audience than has existed before. We hope to work with the management of GTA to achieve that goal,” added Brian Rochester, an Ivester Foundation Board member.

Gainesville Theatre Alliance expresses its gratitude for the foundation’s commitment to the arts, emphasizing the long-term impact this partnership will have on the community’s cultural vibrancy.