GTA to close out season with 'Cabaret' and premiere of 'The Kiss'

Theater fans who want to see Gainesville Theatre Alliance's (GTA) production of "Cabaret" in April had a final chance to buy tickets March 25.

Tickets for the April 8 preview performance along with the newly added April 13 matinee went on sale Monday at the GTA box office. Jim Hammond, artistic and managing director of GTA and director of "Cabaret," built in another performance of the 1966 musical since the original dates have been sold out for months.

Tickets for the preview are $15. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Ed Cabell Theatre in the Continuing Education and Performing Arts Center on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus. UNG faculty and staff may receive free tickets for the preview show with a valid UNG ID.

Tickets for the additional April 13 show are $28-30 for adults, $26-28 for seniors and $18-20 for students.

All other performances for "Cabaret" are sold out for its April 9-20 run. A limited number of tickets are available on a waiting list. To sign up, call 678-717-3624 or stop by the GTA box office at 3820 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood, Georgia.

"Cabaret" is one of two shows to close out GTA's season. GTA is a nationally acclaimed collaboration of UNG, Brenau University, theater professionals, and the northeast Georgia community.

The second show, "The Kiss," is part of GTA's Discovery Series, which is the alternate and more experimental stage featuring smaller-scale professional productions and contemporary scripts. Discovery Series shows are for those adventurous spirits who want to see new ways of approaching familiar stories or themes.

"The Kiss" fits that description as a brand-new play from Helena Scholz-Carlson, a young playwright and Northwestern University graduate. She penned the play to gain entry into Horizon Theatre's master class in Atlanta, then made her mark in the New South Young Playwrights Festival.

Hammond said after he read "The Kiss" he had to meet Scholz-Carlson, who grew up in the business because her father ran a theater for 25 years.

"Once I met her I knew she was just as interesting as her play," he said. "She is in her early 20s but talks like a 40-year-old who has worked in theater for a long time."

Hammond said Scholz-Carlson's play is set in a museum in front of Gustav Klimt's beloved painting "The Kiss." It then follows the moments of compassion and comedy between characters who see the famous painting and find the courage to connect, with various levels of success.

"It also has a great subplot involving an older and younger security guard in the museum," Hammond said. "It's a beautiful play."

Performances of "The Kiss" will be April 12-15 in Brenau University's Theatre on the Square in the Brenau Downtown Center at 301 Main St. SW in Gainesville, Georgia. Performances are free, with general admission seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Patrons may receive vouchers beginning at 6:30 p.m. the night of each performance. Theater doors open at 7:10 p.m.

For more information, visit the GTA website.