GTCC TO PREMIERE PLAY IN NEW PERFORMANCE SPACE

"JAMESTOWN, N.C. — Guilford Technical Community College’s Theatre Program will present its first play in the new Center for Creative and Performing Arts Theatre on April 17.

Located on the High Point Campus (901 S. Main St.), the Center for Creative and Performing Arts Theatre will serve as an additional teaching lab and performance space for students enrolled in GTCC's Creative and Performing Arts programs, comprised of entertainment technology, theatre and music. The two-story 11,705 square-foot-facility features a modified black box stage and theater seating for 82.

“Greater Tuna” will be the first public performance to debut in the new space. Showtime is 8 p.m. The laugh-out-loud comedy by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard is set in the fictional small town of Tuna, Texas. The bevy of eccentric characters, including two clueless radio disc jockeys, a zany animal rights advocate and a crooked judge, have made this fast-paced show popular with audiences throughout the world.

The play debuted in Austin, Texas in 1981 and moved to off-Broadway in 1982.  Subsequently, the show has toured nationally, and has been performed by theater companies throughout the world.  A “Greater Tuna” special aired on HBO in 1984. One of the most produced comedies in American theatre history, “Greater Tuna” continues to delight audiences with its fast-paced dialogue, eccentric characters and droll view of life in the fictional small town of Tuna, Texas.

Directing “Greater Tuna” is GTCC Theatre Instructor Wm. Perry Morgan. The cast includes GTCC students Jason McMasters, Linda Bui and Kristal L. Taylor; GTCC nursing instructor Linda McMillian, making her theatrical debut; and Michael Carter, who has acted in professional and community theatre productions throughout N.C. and Va., making his GTCC Theatre debut.

“Working on ‘Greater Tuna’ has been a marvelous acting experience for our students,” said June Guralnick, director of GTCC’s Theatre Program. “There are not many plays where actors get to play a multiplicity of roles, and ‘Greater Tuna’ certainly provides that opportunity.”

The Center for Creative and Performing Arts Theatre is the final piece in a longtime vision to create one centralized location for all of the Creative and Performing Arts programs and stimulate further collaboration between students on cross-departmental projects and performances.

In addition to the Creative and Performing Arts Theatre, the college also offers two performance venues: a major production studio with seating for an audience of 225; and an amphitheater accommodating more than 500.

Tickets for “Greater Tuna” are $15, general public; $10, GTCC staff and alumni; $5, GTCC students (plus tax). Tickets are available off-campus at the High Point Theatre box office (220 E. Commerce Ave., High Point), by calling (336) 887-3001 or visiting www.highpointtheatre.com. There is an additional ticket surcharge for patrons purchasing tickets online. For group sales, call (336) 334-4822 ext. 50299. Seating is limited. Reservations are recommended.

For more information, contact June Guralnick at jmguralnick@gtcc.edu or call (336) 334-4822 ext. 50299.

- A Press Release

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