The Gainesville Theatre Alliance, a partnership between Brenau University and the University of North Georgia, will present a weekend of new plays as part of the GTA New Works Festival.
The festival at Ed Cabell Theatre on the UNG-Gainesville campus includes three staged readings from GTA students and alumni, as well as shorts. The festival is free general admission; tickets are not required.
Readings begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, with JJ and the Nauts by Brenau alumnus Dellan Short. JJ and the Nauts is a comedic retelling of the Jason and The Argonauts myth. This play explores an altered version of their mythic quest for the Golden Fleece, to provide ample laughter and a crew more suited to today’s modern sensibilities and humor.
Brenau senior Halli Rider will put on the reading of her show Spoonful of Chaos at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21. This comedy follows Vicky, Gwen and Brooklyn through their endeavors at a small ice cream shop in a tiny town in Tennessee while trying to find their purpose in life.
Thicker than Water by Brenau senior Justin Williams will be read at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23. Thicker than Water follows the journey of Liz and her boyfriend, Marty, as he returns home to the secluded island of Cape San Mire nearly eight years after the disappearance of his mother. The story unfolds as we meet a millionaire recluse, a small-town cop, a feisty caregiver and perhaps a witch that resides in the swamp. Questions arise about why Marty’s father has locked himself in the house, what happened to Marty’s mother and if Liz will discover a dark magic deep within the bayou.
The festival will also include GTA Shorts, written and directed by students, including Anthony and the Curse of Brit Weserlock by UNG student Ethan Baez; Good Coffee by UNG student Jeilianne Vazquez; Tommy’s Lot by Brenau student Jordan Ray; Talking Cat by Brenau student Sarah Kay; The Ghost Light by Brenau student Alison Lamb; and The Little Red Hen by Rider.
