Theatrical Outfit is hosting the fourth annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival August 5-13, featuring four new pieces from local and national playwrights. Having now established itself as an Atlanta theatre tradition, AMTF seeks to “redefine all expectations with a new home and four new musicals that speak to the essence of culture and community.” The next week and a half will see brand new musicals tackling relevant topics in unique ways, and we’re here for it. The Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival (AMTF) will present four new musicals on August 5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th: Land Girls, Closing Doors, The Collins Boy, and Ebenezer: A Reconstruction Concert.
The 2019 AMTF official selections include:
Land Girls
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Stefni Colle and Syneva Colle
In Land Girls, gutsy teenager Helen Martin enlists in the Women’s Land Army to do farm labor while the men are at war. But she soon faces unexpected prejudice from the very people she came to help. As she attempts to stay in control of a spiraling situation, she risks losing everything. Inspired by the 80,000 young women who sustained the farms of Great Britain in wartime, Land Girls offers a reminder that friendship and forgiveness are powerful forces against hate.
Closing Doors
Music and Lyrics by Ali Ramsaier, Book by Ali Ramsaier and Quinn Xavier Hernandez, Additional Music and Lyrics by TUCKER and Aria Lanelle
A musical about liberation, validation, and appreciation of one’s self through the lens of the “Me Too” movement and online dating trend. Alex, a budding singer/songwriter, and Guy, a fellow musician, meet the way many young couples do today – through an online dating app. Guy seems to be the perfect person. He’s smart, talented, and romantic. But what devastating truth hides beneath this façade of musical dreams? Will Alex have the courage to face her fear and close the door Guy keeps opening?
The Collins Boy
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brad Bass and Cari Joy
It’s 1928 and Christine Collins is a dedicated single mother to her son, Walter. Christine allows nine-year- old Walter to venture to the picture show without her, leaving him with a dime and a newfound independence. Later that night, she returns home to find the dime and no sign of Walter. Five months later, prayers are answered when Walter is found in Illinois but to Christine’s horror, the boy who steps off the train is not her son. Shoddy police work, lies, and cold-blooded murder give this tale an electric current that sends Christine to the brink of insanity and brings her face to face with the devil himself.
Ebenezer: A Reconstruction Concert
Music and Lyrics by Harry N. Haines
Ebenezer: A Reconstruction Concert follows the mold of the contemporary song cycle to explore how we reinvent ourselves in the face of truth. Inspired by the events of Ebenezer Creek, which saw countless freed slaves betrayed by their Northern liberators, the songs of Ebenezer weave Civil War era stories with lush melodies, focusing on the fallacy of memory both during and after the war. In this fashion, Ebenezer paints a complex and haunting picture of our true southern heritage.
Performance info:
August 5, 6, 12, 13 at 8pm at Theatrical Outfit (84 Luckie St. Atlanta, GA 30303).
About those tickets…
$17.50/show or $50 festival pass. https://www.theamtf.com/tickets
More information:
https://www.theamtf.com/
