FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lawrenceville, Ga., (May 12, 2008) – Eight community theatres form all over North Georgia representing 100 years of performance will descend upon Aurora Theatre to participate in the 1st Annual Gwinnett County Community Theatre Festival. This two-week festival will feature a wide variety of ad vocational theatre offerings from Shakespeare to Southern Comedy and even a play in Spanish. Although the participants may vary from beginner to folks who hold advanced degrees in theatre, they all participate for the same reason – a pure love of theatre. All performances will be held in the intimate grandeur of Aurora Theatre the last two weekends in June with shows running in both the Metro Waterproofing Strickland Family Stage and the Discovery Point Studio concurrently. The Gwinnett County Community Theatre Festival offers participants the chance to perform in a world class venue and work alongside professional arts administrators and technicians. All of the groups involved are non-profit and proceeds from the festival will help to fund their future programming. For those who are not able to get their fill of live theatre, we suggest a Festival Pass that offers unlimited admissions to any one patron for one low price. The festival will bestow two awards; Festival Favorite for the group that sells the most tickets and Best Poster for artistic poster design.

“It’s like a pot-luck dinner, only on stage.” Anthony Rodriguez goes on to explain, “We are thrilled to be able to offer such an amazing line up our first year. We are confident that this festival will become one of the best arts events in the state, some might say that it already is.”

Participating in this year’s festival:

• County Seat Players – Gwinnett County’s longest running community theatre
• Lionheart Theatre Company – the resident company of the Norcross Cultural Arts Center
• New Dawn Theatre – performing in Duluth at Red Clay Theater Arts Center
• New London Theatre – just opened a storefront theatre in their hometown of Snellville
• North Fulton Drama Club – known for Shakespeare al fresco in Roswell
• Compañia Teatral Interludio – one of Georgia’s only Spanish Language theatrical performance groups
• Town & Gown Players – the oldest community theatre in Georgia producing continuously since 1953. The company has made its home in the Athens Community Theater since 1968
• Winder-Barrow Community Theatre – now residing in the new Colleen O. Williams Theater in Winder

Festival Schedule

June 20 at 8:00 & June 21 at 1:30

• Discovery Point Studio: New London Theatre presenting the Best of the New London 1 Act Festival
• Strickland Family Stage: County Seat Players presenting A Bad Year for Tomatoes by John Patrick

June 21 at 8:00 & June at 22 1:30

• Discovery Point Studio: Winder Barrow Community Theatre presenting Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling
• Strickland Family Stage: North Fulton Drama Club presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

June 27 at 8:00 & June 28 at 1:30

• Discovery Point Studio: Teatro Interludio La Cuota del 25%
• Strickland Family Stage: New Dawn Theatre presenting Dearly Departed by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones

June 28 at 8:00 & June 29 at 1:30

• Discovery Point Studio: Town & Gown Players presenting Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
• Strickland Family Stage: Lionheart Theatre presenting Radio TBS (Trailer Park Broadcasting Scandals) by Mark L. Smith

Ticket Prices

• $15 Adults
• $12 Seniors and Students

Festival Pass – with the festival pass you may attend as many performances at the festival as you like for one low price.

• $40 Adult Festival Pass
• $30 Seniors and Students Festival Pass

Reservations

678.226.6222 or www.auroratheatre.com

Aurora Theatre
128 Pike Street
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
678-226-6222

Aurora Theatre, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation and is a member of the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, Theatre Communications Group, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association, Suwanee Business Alliance and Duluth Merchants Association.