Atlanta’s live theatre hiatus is ending, one venue at a time. Today we bring you a look toward the ’21-’22 season at Theatrical Outfit, which will mark Matt Torney’s first in-person season as Artistic Director and Addae Moon’s as Associate Artistic Director.
Click here to check out the rest of our “Back to the Theatre” roundups!
“With five gripping Mainstage productions and the continuations of Made In Atlanta, Graham Martin Unexpected Play Festival, and The Welcome Table,” the company says, “The 2021-2022 Season at Theatrical Outfit will bring powerful, relevant, and thrilling live theatre back to the heart of Downtown Atlanta.”
The Main Stage Series
An Iliad
by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
Based On Homer’s The Iliad, Translated by Robert Fagles
Directed by Matt Torney
September 15 – October 10, 2021
“Pure theater: shocking, glorious, primal and deeply satisfying.” —Time Out NY
Has anything really changed since the Trojan War? Visionary creators Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare have reimagined Homer’s tragic poem with dazzling theatricality and dark humor. As we emerge from a global pandemic, join us for this sweeping account of humanity’s unshakeable attraction to war and the heroes that rise and fall in times of chaos. This one-person show featuring a live musician “Relates An Age-Old Story That Resonates With Tragic Meaning Today” (New York Times).
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Melissa Foulger
November 17 – December 19, 2021
“Ingeniously Funny … Will Keep You Guessing Until The Curtain Call” — BroadwayWorld
Who killed Sir Charles Baskerville? Is there any truth to the legend of a supernatural hound? This sounds like a case for the world’s most famous detective! From the award-winning mastermind of mayhem, Ken Ludwig, comes a fast-paced comedy mystery that takes us from Baker Street to the haunted Dartmoor. Join Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson as they try to escape a dizzying web of clues, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than 40 characters in a “Perfect Mix Of Slapstick And Thrills” for the entire family (Theatermania).
Bright Half Life
by Tanya Barfield
February 2 – 27, 2022
“Romantic! Virtuosic! For sheer loveliness, you won’t surpass Barfield’s exquisite Bright Half Life” – Time Out New York
What if life came with a rewind button? Pulitzer Prize finalist Tanya Barfield brings the world a kaleidoscopic new play about love, heartbreak, skydiving and the infinite moments that make a relationship. Bright Half Life shares the four-and-a-half-decade story of Vicky and Erica, who meet, fall in love, and go through all the trials and tribulations of marriage and building a family. Pause. Rewind. Fast forward. And hold on to “A Well-Written, Engaging Portrayal Of Smart Women Finding Themselves And Each Other” (The New Yorker).
The Wolf at the End of the Block
by Ike Holter
March 30 – April 24, 2022
“From the first moments of the play we are pulled in, and we remain enthralled throughout.” — Chicago Reader
Have you ever entered a world where nothing is as it seems? Abe, a resident of the Rightlynd neighborhood of Chicago, seeks justice after a mysterious, late-night attack at a boarded-up bar. In the next 48 hours, the neighborhood digs deep into escalating mystery, working against time to separate fact from fiction. But as the clock ticks down, the media gets involved, and what began as a simple mystery quickly twists into a personal, pointed and political thriller. A modern-day neo-noir, The Wolf at the End of the Block is “A Modern Masterpiece” (New City).
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
by Lanie Robertson
Directed by Eric J. Little
June 1 – 26, 2022
“As Lady Day, Burrell … gives one of the most bruising performances of the season” – AJC
Have you ever witnessed an icon? Theatrical Outfit will once again be transformed into a 1950s Philadelphia jazz bar where the legendary Billie Holiday is giving one of her final performances. As she wows audiences with her iconic hits, Billie shares bittersweet stories about her life, painting a riveting and moving portrait of the lady whose music wove pain into beauty. Broadway’s Terry Burrell returns with a tour-de-force performance featuring more than a dozen of Holiday’s beloved songs, including “Strange Fruit,” “What a Moonlight Can Do,” and more. You are in for an “Original And Riveting” evening (The London Times).
For more information, visit theatricaloutfit.org or call 678-528-1500.