Jim Hammond, GTA Artistic & Managing Director, describes the new Buford Community Center and Theatre as "an extraordinary achievement creating the potential for outstanding work. From our first meeting, city leaders made it clear that they wanted productions of the highest quality, and that's exactly what GTA-Southern Stage has in store."
The first performances will be Brad Sherrill's The Gospel of John and Red Letter Jesus presented in repertory beginning on October 18 at 7:30. Brad Sherrill, a member of Georgia Shakespeare's acting ensemble, has earned critical acclaim with more than 600 performances throughout the U.S. and Europe.
GTA-Southern Stage will grow in three phases, Hammond explained. We begin by presenting some of the country's finest artists like Brad Sherrill and his remarkable one-man shows."
The inaugural season continues with The 7-Shot Symphony, a piece of story-telling with live country music set in the Wild West performed by Live Action Set, January 18-20; and In Acting Shakespeare, actor James DeVita's autobiographical story of his transformation from a New Jersey longshoreman to an award-winning Shakespearean actor, February 22-24. The GTA Repertory Company will also perform at GTA-Southern Stage in March.
"Phase II of Southern Stage begins in April with our first locally produced show, Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps," Hammond said. The casting process is attracting actors from all over the country.
"Phase III will involve the seamless coordination of all of GTA's performance venues including Buford's Sylvia Beard Theatre, Brenau's Hosch Theatre and Pearce Auditorium, Gainesville State's Ed Cabell Theatre and the Georgia Mountains Center Theatre with the rest of the arts and business community in an effort to make the Lake Lanier area a leading cultural destination in the southeast."
More information about GTA and Southern Stage shows can be found at GTA s website, gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 678.717.3624.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/10/253804