FEATURES

UNDER THE TENT AND AFTER THE TENT

A look at our upcoming offerings and everything we’re hoping to bring after it.

STORY BY Kristen Silton and Ashley Elliott

By the time this issue of the Alliance Theatre Magazine hits homes, we’ll be quickly approaching the oneyear anniversary of the shutdown last March – March 13, to be exact. That’s a long time to be without theatre. Though we’ve seen theatre continue to carry on online and, rarely, in person (including our own drive-in production of A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play), not being able to bring live theatre to our patrons has left a massive hole in our hearts. This is why we’re ridiculously excited to present you with our updated plan for the rest of the year!

UNDER THE TENT

Warmer weather is right around the corner and, with it, outdoor concerts! Due to the massive success of A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play, we’ll be closing out our current season with a bang! This spring we’re popping up a tent in Callaway Plaza for a series of shows Under the Tent. We can’t wait to have you back on the Woodruff Arts Center campus taking in live theater.

What is your work? Put a night out at the theater back on your calendar with our concert staging of the Broadway hit Working: A Musical. With original music by Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more, this show explores what makes our work meaningful across all walks of life.

During the day, we’re reenvisioning two of our most loved shows for young audiences as fun family concerts! Atlanta’s favorite feathered funk band is back in Beautiful Blackbird LIVE! April 8-18. Featuring original music by Eugene H. Russell IV and inspired by Ashley Bryan’s children’s book, this concert will have you shaking your tailfeathers and celebrating your uniqueness. April 29 – May 9, we’ll stage Songs to Grow On, a Woody Guthrie concert for children. Drawn primarily from American folk music legend Woody Guthrie’s iconic album Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child, this whimsical song cycle captures the joy and wonder of childhood.

We have redesigned the theatergoing experience with your safety in mind. All performances will be outdoors under the tent on Callaway Plaza in open air, and patrons will be required to wear masks at all times. You will sit with members of your party in pods of 2-4, socially distanced from those around you. To reduce contact, ticket scanning will be contactless when you arrive, and staff will be masked and equipped with gloves.

AFTER THE TENT

Drama camps are back in-person this summer! In addition to camps at the Woodruff Arts Center, we will be expanding to a new Decatur location at the Museum School. All in-person camps will follow enhanced safety protocols including masking, social distancing, and smaller camp sizes. Virtual camps will also be available. We can’t wait to connect and create again this summer!

Starting in January, we opened our very first animated film, Sit-In, based on an original play by our own Distinguished Artist in Residence, Pearl Cleage. The film centers around three friends as they learn about the sit-ins of the Civil Rights era, and powerfully apply those lessons to issues they – and we all –face today. The short film will be available on Alliance Theatre Anywhere, our new streaming platform, through the end of June.

Our original production of Data will also be available on Alliance Theatre Anywhere starting in May. This play, written by Matthew Libby, was our 2020/21 Kendeda Winner and will be presented to audiences in a unique, interactive way.

Hands Up has been shifted to a full production that will be presented on our Hertz Stage in the Fall. In addition, our production of Toni Stone has been moved to next season and Accidental Heroes has been cancelled.

We’re so excited to welcome you back home to the Alliance Theatre!