THREE DECADES of WONDER

Gay H. Hammond creates theater experiences for audiences young and old

By Alyson Shields, WC ‘13

Each year, thousands of children experience the thrill of live theater in Pearce Auditorium, watching a show crafted especially for them as part of the WonderQuest program with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance. For some, it’s the first time they’ve seen actors in costume, a handbuilt set or a complete stage.

The carefully designed shows are often written by Gay H. Hammond, WC ’82, WonderQuest’s artistic director and an associate professor of theater and English at Brenau. After more than 30 years of creating, teaching, producing and directing, Hammond has announced plans to retire at the end of the spring semester.

“I've had so many wonderful moments at Brenau,” Hammond says. “It's where I discovered my life.”

During three decades as an educator and artistic director, Hammond helped dozens find their lives, too.

Jan Ewing, WC ’94, theater teacher at North Hall High School, says Hammond gave her a life-changing opportunity with WonderQuest 30 years ago.

“She took me under her wing and taught me so much about directing. It led me to be the theater teacher I am today,” Ewing, also a former Brenau Academy teacher, says. “She has had an amazing impact on theater in our area as a performer, writer, teacher and director. Her artistic presence is indelible.”

Zechariah Pierce, BU ’09, studied under Hammond while earning his bachelor’s degree. He is now the artistic director for GTA, a collaborative theater program for Brenau and University of North Georgia students.

“It’s due to much of her blood, sweat and tears that GTA has thrived for 40 years,” he says.

Beginnings At Brenau

Hammond attended Brenau from 1978-82 and earned a bachelor’s degree in theater and English.

Photos from Brenau University Archives

She recalls how Brenau has made a lasting impression on her, thinking back to her freshman year spent trying to adapt to college life and maturing away from her hometown. She says she used to sneak into Pearce Auditorium to do her homework.

“Everybody, I think, struggles with identity. Who am I? And then you realize, gosh, a lot of it’s choice,” Hammond says. “A lot of it's just, I'm going to choose to be this person and be happy about that, and not be ashamed or embarrassed or worried. And that's what Brenau taught me to be.”

During her sophomore year, GTA began with what is now the University of North Georgia. She studied under Ed Cabell, who co-founded the program with Mary Alice Sullivan.

“I acted in the very first show; I played Abigail in ‘The Crucible.’ It was very challenging, very fun,” she says. “Cabell was my main theater teacher throughout the rest of my time at Brenau, and he's still my mentor. I'm still good friends with him. He's the godfather to my children. So he's been a big influence on my life.”

Photo from Gainesville Theatre Alliance

Hammond has spent most of her adult life associated with Brenau in a variety of roles that all shape how she remembers her alma mater. When she began working at Brenau, Hammond initially worked parttime so she could raise and homeschool her two children, Amelia and Connor. Like many children of alumni, they also attended Brenau.

“So when I look at Brenau, the place, it's not only my memories as a 20 year old or my memories as a young mother,” she says. “I see my children, and I see my professional development as a writer, director and actor.”

Engaging Children With The Magic Of Theater

Photo by AJ Reynolds/Brenau University

While raising a family and working in her craft, Hammond also obtained a Master of Arts in theater from the University of Louisville and a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from Spalding University.

In the early 1990s, a leadership opportunity arose with the Gainesville Children’s Theatre, a local group established in 1974. Hammond became involved with the program and focused on theater for young audiences.

The program officially became part of GTA in 2002 as WonderQuest, and the audience has grown exponentially in three decades. Hammond recalled a performance in 1991 had only 25 audience members, while a recent WonderQuest show had more than 6,000 during its run.

“It's the only professional, semiprofessional, young audiences theater in north Georgia,” Hammond says.

Hammond says she wanted to bring the wonder in WonderQuest to every show and allow the audience to explore things they may not have otherwise. She also feels it is essential for her to show young people how to engage appropriately as audience members and enjoy their theatrical experiences.

Hammond has written more than 40 plays since 1992, including many children’s shows.

“I wanted challenging scripts, fun scripts, things that we could do beautiful things with onstage,” Hammond says.

Hammond wrote and directed “The Pirate Queen” in fall 2022 — the first WonderQuest show produced since the pandemic.

A Lasting Legacy

As Hammond retires, she leaves a legendary impact on GTA and a lasting impression on Brenau. Hammond will be recognized for her dedication to the craft and to her alma mater as a Faculty Emeritus.

“I've been involved with the program since its beginning,” Hammond says. “So I'm pretty passionate about GTA.”

Hammond took that passion and showed her students more than acting techniques and methods, but how to lead as educators.

“I would not be the teacher, mother and adult that I am today without the immersive teaching style of Gay Hammond; one that encouraged and challenged higher levels of empathy and curiosity,” Cheryl Baraban, WC ’10, says. Baraban teaches high school students at Sugar Hill Christian Academy in Sugar Hill, Georgia.

Thousands of schoolchildren across the region have attended a WonderQuest show over three decades, and Pierce says that makes Hammond’s impact vast.

“Many students who’ve come through our program can trace their love for theater back to a show they saw under her direction,” Pierce says. “To have had that kind of impact in the community and the lives of our students is something we all strive for.”

Others took her acting knowledge to their jobs, like Michael McCracken, BU ’04, who is the owner and founder of Vagabond School of the Arts in Chicago.

“Gay Hammond as a teacher was always encouraging and challenging all her students to be the best versions of themselves, on and off the stage,” McCracken says. “I believe that her dedication to the students of Brenau has helped pave artistic roads for successful actors around the country, myself being one of them.”

Photo by AJ Reynolds/Brenau University