Georgia's Performing Arts in the Spotlight
ATLANTA, December 1, 2008 - Georgia has a variety of performing arts experiences, including everything from operas to dance companies to dinner theaters. And with the holidays upon us, large and small venues across the state are preparing for special celebratory shows and the kickoff of the 2009 season.
From the mountains to the coast, dinner theaters are gearing up for special winter events. Head to Adairsville, where you will find the 1902 Stock Exchange & Public Square Opera House. While there, have a meal at Maggie Mae's Café & Tea Room after browsing the shops, such as the Corra Harris Bookstore, a gallery of regional interest with out-of-print books and collections by Georgia authors. Be sure to stay for the fantastic dinner theater production, A Christmas Tapestry, upstairs in the opera house. Rather be near the sea than up in the mountains? Enjoy A Dickens Feast at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Based on Dickens' timeless masterpiece 'A Christmas Carol,' the Atlanta Acting Company invites you to experience this dinner theater production on beautiful Jekyll Island.
Take off to Columbus, home of Springer Opera House, the State Theatre of Georgia and a leading southern cultural institution for 136 years. During December, visitors can choose from the classic children's tale of magic and pirates, Peter Pan, or the hilarious holiday tale of a small Texas town, A Tuna Christmas. Or, to open 2009, guests can see Shakespeare's Hamlet. Also in Columbus is the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, a 246,000-square-foot complex with numerous theaters and an assortment of upcoming performances such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ricky Smiley and Friends, and Cantus Columbus Christmas, a popular local tradition. In Atlanta's Actor's Express – King Plow Arts Center, the critically acclaimed Synchronicity Performance Group is performing The Snow Queen through December. Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this mesmerizing story has all the ingredients that matter: good versus evil, adventure, heroes, music and a rich tradition stretching back more than 150 years.
Consider stopping by the Legion Theatre in Cartersville for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a comical holiday classic about a family of horribly misbehaved children who are taught a holiday lesson they shall not forget. The Augusta Symphony Orchestra's holiday performance, A Christmas Celebration, features conductor Neil Casey and youth a cappella group Creative Impressions. Or, make your way to Savannah for A Christmas Tradition. A two-hour performance featuring comedy, audience participation, holiday decorations and Christmas standards, this is a great event for the whole family. The second-longest-running off-Broadway show in history is visiting the Main Street Theatre in Griffin this winter: Nuncrackers, 'the nunsense Christmas musical.' Further south you will discover the award-winning Theatre Albany, with selections both seasonal and classic. In December it is producing A Taffeta Christmas, while its first show in 2009 is To Kill a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee's famed novel.
Athens showcases a number of venues worth checking out. Rose of Athens Theatre brings to life two of Truman Capote's sweetest and most heartwarming stories of the holidays in Quinn Hall at Memorial Park with Holiday Memories. The production is a musical treat featuring Bart King, and Holiday Memories lives up to the Theatre's goal to integrate Georgia music and musicians into all productions. Also in town at the Historic Morton Theatre is a Broadway-style musical, Christmas at the Five and Dime. The tale of a small town competition between a modernized department store and an old-fashioned, Mom & Pop drugstore during the holiday season, this play has big songs, side-splitting situations, and classic carols. The University of Georgia (UGA) Performing Arts Center starts its 2009 season off with one of America's most dynamic new dance groups, the Seán Curran Company.
Also a hub for the performing arts, Atlanta boasts performances of all types in every corner of the city. Stop in for a seasonal favorite and an Atlanta tradition for more than four decades: Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker at the historic Fox Theatre, which is also home to a diverse mix of other holiday performances. Georgia State University's Rialto Center for the Arts opens 2009 with some fascinating selections. The first, Gypsy Jambalaya, is an unprecedented combination of fiddling wizards Les Yeux Noirs and Creole music sensation Cedric Watson, and promises to be an unforgettable show. The second is Colquitt's famous community play and the Official Folk Life Play of Georgia, Swamp Gravy. Consisting of real-life stories from the community, original music and a local cast, Swamp Gravy offers one of the most authentically 'Georgian' performances in the state. Now, Atlantans can finally see the renowned play from south Georgia in their own backyard.
With such a wide array of traditions, genres, venues and locations, it is impossible not to find something for everyone to enjoy. Embrace your culturally curious side and discover a performance you love this holiday season. It is sure to be entertaining, and is a great way to celebrate the holidays with your friends, family and neighbors. Find more performing arts venues and events at www.exploregeorgia.org.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.