After almost a full year with curtains closed at its downtown Ellijay playhouse, Gilmer Arts plans to resume holding live theater and concerts there beginning this spring.
The provider of visual, performing and literary arts programs had a full schedule of events planned for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put everything past April in limbo. Several of those sidelined events will appear as part of the George Link Jr. Gilmer Arts Playhouse’s 2021 season, confirmed Lisa Bastian, the venue’s new artistic director.
“We’re really going to push to get this thing off the ground this year,” said Bastian.
“One of the things we’re asking for this year is COVID tests for all the actors who are cast. We’re taking measures to be very careful and keep the cast numbers down,” she added.
The community theater season is scheduled to begin in April with One of Your Biggest Fans, a two-person play that will allow the program to reboot without having to maintain a large cast.
“It’s a comedy-drama that was originally named Assisted Living, but they changed the name because there was another show out there called Assisted Living that was a musical,” said Bastian about the season opener.
Exit Laughing, another stage comedy that was originally scheduled to run last spring, will follow in May. Fun, lighthearted musicals will be staged in summer and fall with The Great American Trailer Park Musical in July/August and Route 66 The Musical in October. The Christmas show, A Candle in the Window, will close out the season in December.
“I’m having to think outside of the box as far as being an artistic director. I’ve directed probably over 1,000 shows in my career, but some of these shows I’ve never directed,” said Bastian.
“With the lineup this year, one of the things I insisted on was we have light shows that are humorous. I didn’t want to do anything heavy. I want the (community theater) to come back this year with a lot of fun. That’s what (a show like) Route 66 is, a night of music and fun.”
A play written by Bastian, Last of the Summer Wine, will be presented in September and will feature a visiting cast from the metro Atlanta area.
“We live here in wine country, so I felt it would be a lovely match for our theater and some of the wineries that are here,” she said.
Several musical performances rescheduled from last year will also be presented at the venue throughout 2021.
Among them, Neil Diamond tribute artist Conner Lorre in April, Patsy Cline tribute artist Michelle Martin in August and local roots rockers Surrender Hill in October. The recurring open-mic showcase, Acoustic Blends, will also return to the playhouse this month.
The venue normally seats a maximum of 120, but the number of seats sold for each show will be limited to 50 until pandemic conditions improve.
“We’re hoping, as the year goes by, that COVID will lift, but that is our game plan for now,” Bastian noted.
Bastian arrives at Gilmer Arts with a resume that should aid in restarting the organization’s live theater and music programs. Before moving to Gilmer County, she ran a Loganville performing arts school called Lux Royale Productions and now heads a film company, Lily Productions, which produces mainly faith-based and corporate projects.
“If we can get the talent that’s needed, one thing we want to work toward establishing this year is creating an (acting) company at Gilmer Arts,” she noted.
To offset limiting the number of paid seats for each show, live online broadcasts of community theater productions are being planned for this year.
“People can order tickets online and, if they aren’t comfortable coming to the theater, they can watch it from home,” Bastian confirmed.
The local arts organization is also looking at installing an ultraviolet light system in the playhouse ductwork to help to reduce the likelihood of virus transmission, noted Pam Burns, Gilmer Arts Gallery manager.
“Ultraviolet light is a form of electronic radiation with shorter wavelengths than the visible regions. It is the safest part of the light spectrum and can be used to kill mold, bacteria, germs, mites, and other microorganisms. Hospitals and high-end hotels are increasingly using this nontoxic method to disinfect lobbies, rooms and equipment. We are looking at installing these into both (Gilmer Arts) buildings as part of the future measures to maintain a safe atmosphere and improve indoor air quality,” she added.