Looking for something cultural to do in the next week or so? Here’s our select list of recommendations. Pictured: The cast of True Colors Theatre Company’s “Shakin’ the Rafters,” with Chandra Currelley (center).
RECOMMENDED
Every Tongue Confess. THROUGH AUG. 25. The summer heat is rising and flames are flying in this fantastical whodunit at Horizon Theatre. The staging isn’t perfect, but this is a piece of theater you really want to experience. The plot: As the citizens of Boligee, Ala., try to find out who’s behind a string of church fires, the gossip starts and the secrets begin to slip out. The script — by poet-playwright Marcus Gardley, a young writer with a national reputation — is rooted in history and magic realism. Thomas W. Jones II directs. Minka Wiltz and Victor Love lead a strong cast. With original blues and gospel by S. Renee Clark. $20-$30 plus tax. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450. Half-price tickets (selected performances) at PoshDealz.com.
National Black Arts Festival. THROUGH SEPT. 14. Celebrate and explore music, dance, visual arts, humanities and children’s programming in this annual event. The fest features conversations and panels, theater performances, the NBAF Gala, an art competition, a book fair, concerts and art exhibitions throughout the city. This week: Black Art in America exhibit, noon-8 p.m. today-Saturday at the Southwest Arts Center (free). Pan African Film Festival, 18 shorts and features over three days, noon-10 p.m. today and noon-midnight Friday-Saturday at the Southwest Arts Center ($10-$25). In Progess: Russell Gunn’s Toussaint’s Suite, Grammy-nominated trumpeter Gunn and friends perform a piece in progress about the rise of Haitian Gen. Toussaint L’Ouverture, 4 p.m. Saturday at Churchill Grounds in Midtown (free). Jazz singer Kathleen Bertrand, 5 p.m. Saturday at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception downtown (free). Details on these events and more, plus tickets, HERE. (Pictured: A still from Toussaint L’Ouverture, a 2012 feature screening as part of the Pan African Film Festival.)
LAST CHANCE
Metamorphoses. CLOSES SUNDAY. You have only a handful of chances left to see Georgia Shakespeare‘s beautiful, bawdy, raucous and heartbreaking reprise of this Broadway hit that tells 10 stories about what it means to be human. Its tales are based on the myths of the ancient Roman poet Ovid, and the show does, indeed, take place in and around a pool, as you may have heard. The critics: “Theatrical lightning does indeed strike twice” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); ” … a gorgeous, smart, funny, sexy production” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). Contains brief nudity. $13.08-$44.86. tonight-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.504.1473. Meet Metamorphoses‘ company member Park Krausen in this ENCORE SNAPSHOT.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. PREVIEWS TONIGHT-FRIDAY | OPENS SATURDAY. Shakespeare’s fairy-filled romp through the woods. $15-$36. Through Aug. 17. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299. Get a $50 gift card, good on tickets, food and drink, for $25 HERE. (Pictured, top from left, Matt Nitchie and Nicholas Faircloth, plus Matt Felton as Bottom and Mary Russell)
STILL PLAYING
Dementia Juice. THROUGH JULY 27. Dad’s Garage Theatre Company says goodbye to its memory-filled mainstage with this off-kilter, puppet-filled ride to hell, aka the in-laws’ house. This scripted comedy uses moving set pieces, masks and puppets to help the audience experience what the main character is going through. Written and directed by Dad’s Artistic Director Kevin Gillese and 7 Stages’ Associate Artistic Director Michael Haverty. The critics: “In true Dad’s style, drama, comedy and raunchiness meld” (Scott Daughtridge, ArtsATL.com). $7-$28. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. 280 Elizabeth St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.3141. Buy online and save. Read more about Dad’s imminent, involuntary move from Inman Park in this Encore FEATURE.
Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. THOUGH JULY 28. The Center for Puppetry Arts teams with the rhythm doc for this Atlanta premiere. Told with rod puppets and animation. Originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain. Directed here by Jon Ludwig. $16.50 non-members; $9.25 members. 10 a.m. and noon Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. 1404 Spring St. N.W. at 18th Street. Details, tickets HERE, at tickets@puppet.org or 404.873.3391.
Mysterious Connections. THROUGH AUG. 9. World premiere. Part of Essential Theatre‘s three-play summer festival. The script, by Essential Producing Artistic Director Peter Hardy, features two lonely women haunted by their pasts yet drawn to one another from the first time they meet. $18-$23. (In repertory with Stray Dogs by Matthew Myers and Swimming With Jellyfish by Katie Grant Shalin). 8 p.m. Friday, July 27 and Aug. 2, 5 and 9. Also at 2 p.m. July 28 and 7 p.m. Aug. 4. Note: For mature audiences. Includes sexual situations, smoke and fog effects. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St. Note: The King Plow Arts Center parking lot is under construction. Alternate parking options HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.866.811.4111. Read more about the Essential Theatre festival in this ENCORE FEATURE.
Shakin’ the Rafters. THROUGH AUG. 9. World premiere. True Colors Theatre Company presents this new gospel musical by Robert Deasons and one-time Alliance Theatre associate David H. Bell. The gospel-singing Davis Sisters tour the Jim Crow-era South as they try to find a foothold in the music industry. Cast: Chandra Currelley, LaTrice Pace, Adrienne Reynolds, D. Woods, Jevares Myrick and LaParee Young. $35; $25 age 65+; $20 students. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 14th Street Playhouse, 173 14th St. N.E. Details HERE. Tickets HERE.
Stray Dogs. THROUGH AUG. 10. This world premiere by Atlanta playwright Matthew Myers is the winner of the 2013 Essential Theatre Playwriting Award. It’s billed as a comedy/crime story/romance in the style of Quentin Tarantino. Jackson is a petty criminal who’s not as smart as he thinks. Violet is a teenage call girl who’s not nearly everything she pretends to be. What happens when they get together – along with corrupt cops and organized crime? (In repertory with Mysterious Connections by Peter Hardy and Swimming With Jellyfish by Katie Grant Shalin). 8 tonight, Saturday, July 29 and Aug. 1. Also at 7 p.m. July 28. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St. Note: The King Plow Arts Center parking lot is under construction. Alternate parking options HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.866.811.4111. Read more about the Essential Theatre festival in this ENCORE FEATURE.
The Velveteen Rabbit. EXTENDED THROUGH AUG. 3. Travel to a time when toys were sewn by hand and modern technology was not all the rage. Serenbe Playhouse sets the Margery Williams classic, about a toy who longs to be real, in post-Civil War Savannah. The critics: “Imaginative, playful and often interactive” (Jim Farmer, ArtsATL.com). All Serenbe shows are performed outdoors. This one is in the Grange Creek area, behind Fern’s Market. Please bring your own seating. $15; $10 age 13 and under. 11 a.m. Friday-Saturday. 9110 Selborne Lane, Palmetto, about 30 minutes from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.463.1110. Half-price tickets (July 19-20 and 26 only) at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: Ryan Ortega, left, and Sam Costantino. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.)
LOOKING AHEAD
280 Elizabeth Street – Dead to Us: A Farewell TheatreSports. 10:30 P.M. JULY 27 ONLY. As you may have heard, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company is losing its longtime space in Inman Park. This is the company’s final show there. Ever. So the gang will pack the stage and say goodbye with its longest-running improv show. TheatreSports is a fast-paced competition with two teams, a host/referee, audience participation and an infamous “scum box.” $40-$50. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.3141. Buy online and save. Read more about Dad’s involuntary exit in this Encore FEATURE.
Swimming With Jellyfish. OPENS JULY 24. This world premiere comedy by Atlanta playwright Katie Grant Shalin also has a heart. Meet a family trying to hold it together as the kids get ready to leave the house and Mom and Dad, who should be settling down, find everything falling apart. (In repertory with Stray Dogs by Matthew Myers and Mysterious Connections by Peter Hardy). 8 p.m. July 24-26 and 30,and Aug. 3. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St. Note: The King Plow Arts Center parking lot is under construction. Alternate parking options HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.866.811.4111. Read more about the Essential Theatre festival in this ENCORE FEATURE.
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, covering or working in the performing arts for most of her life. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
