Suwanee Performing Arts (SPA) is pleased to announce it has received a $4,900 project grant from Explore Gwinnett through the Gwinnett Creativity Fund. The grant will support SPA’s Community Arts Players (CAPS) production of “Bard at the Barn: an Appalachian Romeo and Juliet,” playing for one weekend only at Everett’s Music Barn in Suwanee. Explore Gwinnett awarded nearly $100K in grants to 10 Gwinnett County nonprofit arts organizations, providing financial support for Gwinnett County arts and cultural initiatives taking place from August 2021 throughout the first quarter of 2022.

“We were highly impressed with the quality of projects for this grant cycle and we were pleased to grant more funds than this time last year,” says Lisa Anders, Explore Gwinnett executive director.

The CAPS production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet opens on October 15 at 5:30pm, performs October 16 at 2:00pm, and closes on October 17 at 2:00pm. All shows will be presented outdoors on the lawn at Everett’s Music Barn, 4055 Stonecypher Road, in Suwanee. Tickets are on sale now at suwaneeperforms.org. Individual tickets cost $15 for a space on the lawn (bring your own blanket/chair, or borrow a “sit pad” to sit on the grass); $20 for a spot under the pavilion (chair provided). For discounts for groups of 10 or more, please contact [email protected]. A special pre-show of Americana music featuring Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame Honoree Bill Long will be presented a half hour before curtain.

“This is truly a community-powered event,” says Director Susanna Wilson. “After SPA came out of the ‘Pandemic Pause’ to produce Broadway in the Park after a two-year hiatus, adults in our community wanted the opportunity to perform with the kids. Romeo and Juliet came out of that desire. The cast of this production range in age from 13 to 60! With the project grant from Explore Gwinnett, we are able to maintain the high production values that our audiences have come to expect from SPA.”

About Suwanee Performing Arts
Suwanee Performing Arts (SPA) is a nonprofit community arts organization founded on the principle “art is life.” SPA’s mission is to ignite a passion for the arts which nurtures and inspires the creative leaders of tomorrow through the magic of live performance. The desire to ignite passion, to nurture, to inspire, and to give back to our community; these are the reasons why SPA exists. By Bringing Art to Life in our community, SPA helps bring the mission of the City of Suwanee — “Play Hard, Live Well, Smile More” — to life as well. All of SPA’s programs are supplemented by fundraisers, corporate sponsors, individual donors, and grants.

About Gwinnett Creativity Fund
Gwinnett Creativity Fund (GCF) recognizes the inherent value of the arts to a community’s success and seeks to increase Gwinnett County’s profile as a cultural, inclusive destination where the arts educate, elevate, and inspire. This grant is administered and managed by Explore Gwinnett.

About Explore Gwinnett
Explore Gwinnett, the marketing brand for the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, is Gwinnett County’s official tourism organization and is dedicated to strengthening Gwinnett County’s economy by marketing the county as a destination for conventions, sporting events, meetings and leisure travel through sales, marketing and promotion. Explore Gwinnett is a strong proponent of the arts in Gwinnett County, and created Artober, Gwinnett’s month-long celebration of the arts in October.