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In an exciting development for the arts community, Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA) proudly announces a significant sponsorship commitment from the Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation. This marks the beginning of a ten-year partnership that will bolster GTA's mission of delivering exceptional theatrical performances to enrich the cultural landscape of Gainesville and Hall County.

GTA, a collaborative ensemble uniting the theatre departments of the University of North Georgia and Brenau University, has consistently set the standard for theatrical excellence in the north Georgia region. This year's donation designates the Ivester Foundation as a sponsor for GTA’s April 2024 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The foundation's generous sponsorship will continue to support one mainstage show each season over the next decade.

The Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the lives of the people in Gainesville and Hall County, has a rich history of supporting education, scholarship, visual arts, performing arts, parks, and gardens. Their diverse range of contributions includes efforts such as the Ivester Amphitheater, sponsorship of various performances around town, and support for educational institutions.

"The Foundation Directors believe that theatre is an important contributor to the wellbeing of any community. The Foundation is delighted with this new partnership with GTA," stated Doug Ivester, former CEO of Coca-Cola. "The goals of the MDI/VKI Foundation are long term. The desire of the Foundation is to be a perpetual contributor to Gainesville & Hall County, sponsoring organizations, programs, and people who simply make life in Gainesville special and better."

"The support of the MDI/VKI Foundation is an immense blessing to our program and a crucial showcase of how the support of our community is what drives our ability to bring what is good, true and beautiful to our stages," GTA Artistic Director Zechariah Pierce said. "We look forward to fostering this relationship in ways that will make this unique university alliance program one that stands out regionally.”

"The Foundation Board hopes that our support will result in bringing theatre to a larger and more diverse audience than has existed before. We hope to work with the management of GTA to achieve that goal," Brian Rochester, an Ivester Foundation Board member, said.