Friday, August 17, 2007
A+E, Theater

SP THEATER AWARDS '07

Can Atlanta become the Broadway of the South?

Last year’s Sunday Paper theater season-in-review issue posed the question: Can Atlanta become the Broadway of the South? Well, I’m not sure about THAT, but this year our very own Alliance Theatre Company won Broadway’s highest honor: the Tony Award as the country’s best regional theater. And when you consider the lack of original material on Broadway these days, there were times this season when it felt as though Atlanta was generating MORE new work than New York – thanks to local playwrights Pearl Cleage (“A Song for Coretta”), Steve Yockey (“Skin”), Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee (“Charm School”), Phillip DePoy (“Turned Funny”), Marki Shalloe (“Bald Grace,” “O’Keeffe”), Pamela Turner (“Voices Deux”), Hank Kimmel (“Hank Kimmel’s Shorts”) and Jean Sterrett (“Fix Me So I Can Stand,” “The Summerhouse in April”).

Herewith, The Sunday Paper’s second annual Spotlight Awards, honoring the cream of the crop from Atlanta’s ’06-’07 theater season—at least in one critic’s humble opinion—as well as a list of 10 pet peeves (just because). Take a bow, everyone!

From left to right, Neal R. Hazard, David Milford and Hugh Adams star in Theatre in the Square’s production of “All the King’s Men,” one of the top 10 Atlanta shows of the last year. Christopher Ekholm can be seen in the background Milford made the list of the city’s best actors. CREDIT: MJ Conboy

Stealing the show
Keep an eye on these 10 actors
By Bert Osborne

ANDREW BENATOR: This actor, who recently moved back to his native Atlanta, stood out in the supporting cast of “Brooklyn Boy” at Jewish Theatre of the South, where he later endeared as a clever leading (Every)man in “Hank Kimmel’s Shorts.” Up next: “Eurydice” at the Alliance.
On coming home: “I’d been in New York for nine years, acting the whole time, but ultimately I wanted a calmer lifestyle, something more consistent and stable … I didn’t want my whole life depending on or revolving around acting.”

BRIAN CRAWFORD: That he had sort of an off year doesn’t mean Crawford isn’t still among the most promising actors in town. He was at his best in a physically challenging role in Out of Hand’s “Nobody Here But Us Chickens,” while at 7 Stages he floundered in “My Left Breast” and misplayed “The Violet Hour.” Up next: “Meds” with Out of Hand; “Octopus” at Actor’s Express.

On playing a judo student with spastic paralysis in “Chickens”: “Shaking for 40 minutes is really hard and physically exhausting, but that’s what’s exciting about working with Out of Hand. It’s why we put ourselves through a physical boot camp every other week, because part of our approach is geared to exercising our bodies in relation to our work as actors.”

DAVID DE VRIE:. Even though he didn’t perform in Horizon’s “Charm School”—instead dropping out of the cast to rejoin and close Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast”—de Vries enjoyed a banner year, with gripping performances at the Alliance (“Glengarry Glen Ross”) and Jewish Theatre of the South (“Brooklyn Boy,” “Born Guilty,” “Peter and the Wolf and Me”). Up next: The Alliance’s “Sleuth” and Jewish Theatre of the South’s “Hard Love.”
On being part of an all-local Alliance cast (in “Glengarry”)—and how that’s such a rarity for the company: “As a longtime Atlanta resident and actor, it felt great to be in that show, but at the same time I was just as proud to be the only local actor in ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ (in 2005) and to work with a Tony-winning director like Doug Hughes. The out-of-town casting only rankles me if it’s plainly obvious that there are qualified actors right here in town who could play the role just as well.”

MATTHEW FELTEN: After four years at the New American Shakespeare Tavern, this actor is best-known for Romeo and Hamlet. How neat was it this season to discover his knack for silly bit parts in shows like “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” In fact, he can still be seen in those two productions, which are being performed in repertory through Sept. 2 at the Shakespeare Tavern. Up next: “A Christmas Carol” as Tiny Tim and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as Puck, among others.
On whether, as a Tavern artistic associate, he gets to pick his roles: “No, most of that depends on who’s directing which show. There’s always a certain amount of lobbying going on, hints being dropped, Post-It notes being left here and there.”

NEAL GHANT. Following a shaky start in another Mamet play (Theatre in the Square’s “A Life in the Theater”), he stole “Glengarry Glen Ross” with astonishing aplomb. ART Station’s frivolous “The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged),” natch, was bound to be a letdown.
On . . . anything?: Ghant was unavailable for comment.

DANIEL MAY. He was cunning and calculated in “The Pillowman” at Actor’s Express and “The Chase” at Theatrical Outfit. With Georgia Shakespeare, he revived “Metamorphoses,” assistant-directed “Pericles” and honed his farcical skills in “Loot” and (most sweetly) “The Servant of Two Masters.” Up next: GS’ “Richard III”; an eighth Alliance “Christmas Carol”; “A Streetcar Named Desire” in San Francisco (for former Express artistic director Jasson Minadakis).
On a refreshing change of pace with two of his first comedies in years: “I got so much positive feedback and encouragement from audiences. People would come up to me after the show and say, ‘Wow, you’re really funny.’ And I’d wonder, ‘Why doesn’t everybody already know this about me?’”

DAVID MILFORD. After decades of building a solid career on the local scene, he married and moved to North Carolina in 2000. Thanks to Theatre in the Square, he still returns once or twice a year. This season, he dazzled there as the corrupt Southern politician of “All the King’s Men.”
On still challenging himself, as Willie Stark, after all these years: “It’s the kind of role that doesn’t come along very often and, because of my age, may never come along again, right? I joke that sometimes my career feels like it’s on cement blocks out in the backyard, because it’s harder to find parts for certain older models.”

THEROUN PATTERSON. Don’t let his good looks fool you. For the second busy season in a row, he registered strongly: “Skin” and “The Jammer” at Dad’s Garage; Synchronicity’s “Voices Underwater”; “Voices Deux” at Theatre Decatur. Up next: An episode of TBS’s “House of Payne.”
On having local playwright Pamela Turner present during rehearsals for “Deux”: “It was great having her right there in the same room with us. For me, I think it kept me sharp and made me work even harder, because I wanted to try bringing something new to the table that maybe she hadn’t thought of before.”

JOE SYKES. He’s appeared in nearly every play by Atlanta’s Steve Yockey, but never quite like this before—nude. The power of his work in “Skin” was how subtly he refocused the scene’s shock value by fleshing out such a fully developed character. Currently (say it ain’t so, Joe!): The never-ending “Peachtree Battle” at Ansley Playhouse. Up next: Yockey’s “Octopus.”
On doing nude scenes: “It’s not as big a deal as you might think. I mean, you know that everybody’s looking at you, really looking at you, so you’ve got to be comfortable in your body. Once you do it, though, it’s great for your confidence. You feel like you can do anything.”

GEOFF UTERHARDT. Anyone nicknamed “Googie” had better be funny—and he is. His sheer enthusiasm was reason enough to recommend “The Bible” and “The Mystery of Irma Vep” at ART Station, or “Reefer Madness: The Musical” at Dad’s Garage. Currently: Aurora’s “Annie Get Your Gun.” Up next: “Meds”; a third “Broadway Christmas Carol” at the Station.

On testing ART Station audiences with irreverent, campy fare like “The Bible” and “Irma Vep”: “Those were amazing experiences, roles of a lifetime for me, but it was sort of a mixed blessing. ‘Irma Vep’ didn’t do well in terms of drawing a huge crowd. With ‘The Bible,’ on any given night I’d say 90 percent of the people really enjoyed it, but we always had a few arm-crossers with scowls on their faces, because we were poking fun at the Bible.”

Ric Reitz, Jill Jane Clements and Linda Stephens in Theatre in the Square’s production of “Turned Funny.” For her role in this show and others, Clements was recognized as one of the top 10 actresses in the city. CREDIT: MJ Conboy

Taking the stage
Memorable performances from 10 actresses
By Bert Osborne

JILL JANE CLEMENTS. She opened and closed the season nailing a variety of scene-stealing roles in Theatre in the Square’s “Turned Funny.” At Theatrical Outfit, the veteran battled nobly with the inferior comedy “Shiloh Rules” (as a pesky peddler) and then left an indelible dramatic mark on “The Chase” (as a misguided mother). Up next: Theatrical Outfit’s “Southern Comforts.”
On whether it’s any easier to deal with the rejection of not getting a part now than it was 25 years ago: “Not one bit. In fact, it may be worse. I don’t know about other actors and how they cope. We all know it’s part of the game. We’ve all heard that actors are rejected more than door-to-door salesmen. We all want to be picked for the baseball team, and when we’re not, we’re crushed.”

CAROLYN COOK. A staged reading of “The Disputation” at Jewish Theatre of the South. Three Beckett shorts (in French) for Theatre du Reve. Three searing monologues in Horizon’s Iraqi drama “9 Parts of Desire.” Three Georgia Shakespeare shows: the remounted “Metamorphoses,” “Pericles” and, best of all, her fanciful comedic work (as a man) in “The Servant of Two Masters.”
Next: Theatrical Outfit’s “To Kill a Mockingbird;” du Reve’s “Voir un Ami Pleurer.”
On working with guest artist Theodore Bikel at Jewish Theatre of the South: “It was an honor to be there with such a big personality. He was fabulous, and he had endless stories.”

SUEHYLA EL-ATTAR. She played it light and campy, respectively, as a beacon of tranquility in “Miss Witherspoon” at Theatre in the Square and as a drug dealer’s moll in “Reefer Madness: The Musical” at Dad’s Garage. With three distinctive characters in “9 Parts of Desire,” she went profoundly deep. Next: Synchronicity’s “My Name is Rachel Corrie” (as a dramaturge).

On “9 Parts of Desire”: “Fantastic all the way around. I mean, to get on stage with people like Carolyn Cook and Marianne Fraulo, with all the respect I have for them, just standing in their shadows was pretty amazing. We’re three individual actresses who didn’t always work the same way. The real unifying force was [director] Lisa Adler. Watching her deal with us on each of our own terms, it was wonderful.”

MARGUERITE HANNAH. Too underused the past few years, she made up for that this season portraying a wealth of memorable roles—from classy (in Theatrical Outfit’s “Waiting to be Invited”) and sassy (in “Miss Witherspoon”) to a wide array of life in between (in IKAM’s episodic “Crowns”). Next: The 7 Stages remount of Pearl Cleage’s “A Song for Coretta.”

On theater as something more: “I thoroughly loved telling that piece of African-American history [in Theatrical Outfit’s civil-rights drama “Waiting to Be Invited”] … No matter how much I know about history, I always learn something else about it, studying it in the context of a play … I think it really elevates our craft to a more honorable place, when you get an opportunity to tell someone’s history. It takes some of the vanity out of our profession and replaces it with a higher purpose.”

AGNES HARTY. In two long-overdue showcases, she beautifully realized a streetwise British hairdresser in “Educating Rita,” the Red Clay Theatre’s inaugural production, and a bohemian Berlin nightclub singer in the Shakespeare Tavern’s “Cabaret.”
Next: “The Water Coolers: An Office Musical” at Horizon; “Oh! What a Lovely War” at Theater Emory.
On suddenly blooming as a bona fide singing star, after 15 years on the scene doing non-musicals: “It’s crazy, isn’t it? It started with ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ [in 2005], but now there’s ‘Cabaret,’ and I’m also lined up for two more next season. I always enjoyed singing and I missed it, so a few years ago I went back to work on my voice, taking lessons and reconnecting with that part of my instrument.”

FARIDA KALALA. Her performance as a genocide survivor in “I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda” at Theatre in the Square was simply exquisite. Currently: She’s pursuing her master’s degree in fine arts—out of town, alas.

On how she prepared for her role—and how the experience changed her: “I couldn’t imagine something like that happening and living through it. What I admired about the character was the quiet strength she had. She had the strength to tell her story, to learn and grow from it, to move on and push ahead. I felt that way playing her, like I was growing and learning so much about myself as a person and what I’m able to do as an actor.”

BETHANY ANNE LIND. She put a fresh spin on familiar roles in Stage Door Players’ “Bus Stop” and (especially) Georgia Ensemble’s “Steel Magnolias,” not to mention her brat of a Tiny Tim in Essential Theatre’s “Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge.” She also made a lovely addition to the cast of “Metamorphoses.” Up next: Jewish Theatre of the South’s “The Last Schwartz.”
On being a relative new kid in town and sharing the stage with seasoned actresses such as Tess Malis Kincaid, Judy Leavell and Carol Mitchell-Leon in “Steel Magnolias”: “The first thing was learning not to be intimidated, because once I got to know them, there was no reason to be. Everybody was very welcoming. It’s always wonderful working with people who have that kind of experience, just watching them work and seeing how many different approaches there can be to a character or a script or acting in general.”

SHELLY MCCOOK. Her brave, inspired, sensitive and supremely hilarious turn as a tone-deaf opera diva in Aurora’s “Glorious!” was, no kidding, one for the ages. And if even she couldn’t truly transcend her mediocre material as “Miss Witherspoon,” then nobody could.
On . . . anything?: McCook was unavailable for comment at press time.

MARCIE MILLARD. As a versatile character actress, she charmed in Jewish Theatre of the South’s sketchy “Hank Kimmel’s Shorts.” As a dynamic musical performer, she scored in the twangy Stage Door revue “Pump Boys and Dinettes.” She does stately leading ladies, too, such as Guenevere in Aurora’s “Camelot.” Next: Horizon’s annual “The Santaland Diaries.”

On her straight starring role in “Camelot”: “I’m basically a character actor ... Guenevere was such a challenge, because I was completely out of my comfort zone. Freddie [Ashley, the director] wanted her to be more than the standard ingenue we’re accustomed to, which was good for me because I’m not that. It was about making her three-dimensional, finding her real moments. That’s not always easy to do in musicals.”

KATHLEEN WATTIS. She brought a delightful warmth and texture to what could have been a stock Hollywood movie executive in “Based on a Totally True Story” at Actor’s Express. She also impressed as the least objectionable of the female Civil War re-enactors in “Shiloh Rules.”
On . . . anything?: Wattis declined to be interviewed for this story.

Eddie Levi Lee and Larry Larson star in the Horizon Theatre’s “Charm School,” which was co-directed by Lisa Alder, who is among the city’s top 10 directors. CREDIT: Jennifer Dwyer

TOP 10 DIRECTORS

And … action
Celebrating the directors who do it best
By Bert Osborne

LISA ADLER: At the Horizon Theatre, she co-directed (with husband Jeff) a sharp new “Charm School,” and she ingeniously reimagined the one-woman drama “9 Parts of Desire” for three versatile actresses.

SUSAN BOOTH: The Alliance artistic director infused Actor’s Express’ “Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)” with an inexhaustible energy and flair. (Points off for backing out of her own company’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” to take some chi-chi out-of-town gig.)

ANDREA FRYE: A celebrated actress and an equally accomplished director. Her alternately joyous and moving “Crowns” for IKAM was the brightest and most fluid musical of the year.

KENT GASH: Both of his Alliance shows this season were stylistically polished—but where “Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue” felt emotionally detached, “Cuttin’ Up” rang resoundingly true.

MATT HUFF: His Actor’s Express comedy “Based on a Totally True Story”
was as spirited as his Jewish Theatre of the South drama “Born Guilty”
was haunting. Give him extra credit for “Can-Can,” part of a Theater Emory
short-play program.

THOMAS JONES II: For better or worse—but ever inventively—he transforms a potentially downtrodden story into rich theatrical entertainment with Horizon’s “The Bluest Eye” (continuing through Sept. 2).

RACHEL MAY: Her highly stylized Synchronicity production of “Voices Underwater” was much more satisfying to watch than the pretentious and heavy-handed play was to think about.

ALLEN O’REILLY: He got Red Clay’s first season off to an admirable start—directing a smooth, efficient “Educating Rita” and, most notably, a stark and chilling “The Woman in Black.”

AUGUST STAUB: His tightly wound and finely tuned “All the King’s Men” for Theatre in the Square was a marvel of precision, by turns dramatically invigorating and quietly pensive.

KATE WARNER: At Dad’s Garage, she mastered a ’30s musical spoof (“Reefer Madness”), a ’50s roller-derby show (“The Jammer”) and an up-to-date sex drama (“Skin”) with equal skill.

TOP 10 PRODUCTIONS

That’s the ticket
Recognizing best and brightest of Atlanta’s theater scene
By Bert Osborne

“ALL THE KING’S MEN”—David Milford reigned as Willie Stark in director August Staub’s crackling rendition of the famous Robert Penn Warren drama (loosely based on the life and assassination of Louisiana governor Huey Long). The impeccable supporting ensemble in this Theatre on the Square production included Hugh Adams, Elizabeth Wells Berkes, Christopher Ekholm, Jackie Prucha and Tom Thon.

“BROOKLYN BOY”—Directed by Susan Reid, Jewish Theatre of the South’s poignant production of the Donald Margulies homecoming drama benefited immensely from an intelligent and soulful performance of David de Vries as the prodigal son. Andrew Benator, Cynthia Barrett and Barry Anbinder had juicy individual scenes, but it was de Vries who ultimately held our interest.

“CABARET”—The production wasn't quite as atmospheric as it could have been, but the Shakespeare Tavern otherwise did very respectably by the classic Kander and Ebb musical (directed by Heidi Cline). The big nightclub numbers (with Jeff McKerley’s Emcee) were terrific, and the nuances of the straight scenes weren’t lost on such fine actors as Agnes Harty, Ellen McQueen and Clark Taylor.

“CHARM SCHOOL”—Essential’s “workshop” of this production made last year’s “Top 10” list, but this race-relations comedy by Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee is so pointed and perceptive that it bears repeating. Besides, Horizon’s remount felt like a whole new show—staged on a bigger scale by co-artistic directors Jeff and Lisa Adler, and totally recast (with Larson and Lee themselves, among others).

“CUTTIN’ UP”—It served you right for having preconceived notions—to walk into the Alliance with so little expectation, and then to walk out in such a glorious afterglow after seeing director Kent Gash’s version of this show. Inner-city barbershop as social microcosm is hardly cutting-edge, but the humanity of the characters and the honesty of their stories in this play by Charles Randolph-Wright cut right through.

“THE GOD COMMITTEE”—A rather slick, conventional medical-ethics drama by Mark St. Germain, but how could director Joe Gfaller go wrong with this Theatrical Outfit cast? Tom Key, Jeff Portell, Kathleen McManus, Chris Ekholm, Kinnik Sky, Bill Murphey and Donna Biscoe played hospital officials debating which of five patients is most deserving of an emergency heart transplant.

“THE PILLOWMAN”—Martin McDonagh’s hellish interrogation drama made a stunning swan song for outgoing Actor’s Express artistic director Jasson Minadakis, who elicited yet another arresting performance from actor (and frequent collaborator) Daniel May, playing a detained writer possibly involved in murder. Mark Kincaid and Jeff Feldman matched wits with him as the good cop/bad cop duo.

“SKIN”—Local playwright Steve Yockey’s provocative relationship drama intricately overlapped five conflicted characters in three sexual subplots. Atypical for Dad’s Garage and artistic director Kate Warner, there was a hushed, confessional tone to the piece—and actors Joe Sykes, Kate Donadio, Theroun Patterson, Alison Hastings and Angelyn Pass were uniformly excellent.

“A SONG FOR CORETTA”—Actress and drama-department faculty member Crystal Dickinson directed the Spelman College premiere of this lyrical new play by Atlantan Pearl Cleage (“Flyin’ West”). Andrea Frye, Jade Lambert-Smith and three talented students portrayed a group of women with disparate reasons for wanting to pay their respects to the late Coretta Scott King.

“SPRING AWAKENING”—Before the new rock-musical version took Broadway by storm, Theater Emory artistic director Tim McDonough offered a striking production of the original 1891 drama by German Frank Wedekind. The large student cast, plus a few pros like Park Krausen and Ellen McQueen as parents, convincingly conveyed the universal hardships of youth and a timeless curiosity about sex.

Perhaps it’s too much of a good thing? “Respect: A Musical Journey of Women,” which traces the history of women through songs, is an official pet peeve for our theater critic. CREDIT: Jenni Girtman

PET PEEVES

Disappearing actors, wasted talents and those awful body mics
Our theater critic shares his top 10 pet peeves
By Bert Osborne

10. That a trio of last year’s acting “A-Listers” were nowhere to be seen this season: Joan Pringle, David Weber and LaParee Young.

9. That a trio of this season’s honorees are nowhere to be heard from in this story: Neal Ghant, Shelly McCook and Kathleen Wattis. I’m trying not to take it as a slap in the face, but there’s nothing quite like offering a pat on the back and getting a cold shoulder. (Or is this how it feels for actors when some critic gives them a bad review?) Never mind the disturbing precedent it sets—that one (or three) might be a “Top 10” performer AND pet peeve, all in the same season!

8. That a trio of last year’s “Top 10 Upcoming Highlights” would also find a place on this year’s “Top 10 Pet Peeves” list: the Alliance’s locally cast but lethargically directed “Glengarry Glen Ross;” Theatre in the Square’s “Miss Witherspoon,” which squandered the talents of three great actresses; and “The Violet Hour,” less because of what 7 Stages did with it—though the production had problems, too—than because of how woefully the script betrayed an intriguing premise for utter absurdity.

7. Speaking of which …Dad’s Garage’s “Invasion: Our Town.” My review ignited some debate by questioning the show’s derivation (scripted vs. improvised, rehearsed vs. spontaneous)—but what did it truly matter, given the bottom line that it just wasn’t very funny?

6. After announcing an ambitious summer lineup—including Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” and a series of Shel Silverstein shorts—the 5-year-old Jack in the Black Box Theatre up and vanished without a trace. In addition to depriving its potential audience, the group had arranged to work in residency at Actor’s Express and left them in a bit of a lurch.

5. There was a lot of that going around this season for Actor’s Express. Talk about a flash in the pan—newly appointed artistic director Bill Fennelly, a veteran of the New York theater scene, had barely started the job when he flaked out and took the first glitzy Broadway offer to come along (a musical “Frankenstein” or some such). Rebounding quickly, the company named Freddie Ashley to the post and has slightly adjusted its slate of shows, so everything’s full-steam ahead.

4. Alas, that doesn’t always seem to be the case at Onstage Atlanta or Theatre Decatur (the former Neighborhood Playhouse), two of Atlanta’s longest-running avocational companies. In dire financial shape, and in the wake of a short-lived “takeover” attempt from within the ranks, Onstage has canceled plans for its 36th season to focus on regrouping. And, like Onstage of late, Theatre Decatur has been dropping and adding shows to its schedule with a dizzying regularity, although what’s most distressing is how poorly attended they are, regardless.

3. No, really, I’m thrilled the Alliance finally won that regional Tony award—especially if it means we can stop thinking about its shows in terms of their Broadway prospects or as part of a national tour (like this year’s “Sister Act, the Musical” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”).

2. Must you actually see a show for it to qualify as a pet peeve? I missed (so to speak) the independent jukebox hit “Respect: A Musical Journey of Women” at the 14th Street Playhouse, but I endured the similarly slanted “Menopause The Musical” a couple of years ago—and isn’t that enough of that?

1. Lastly and yet again, like a (statically amplified) broken record: Body miking as a tacky distraction in musicals. On the plus side this season, for nearly every show that used them, there was another more worthy of mentioning that didn’t. That list includes “Cabaret,” “Crowns,” “Mount Pleasant Homecoming,” “Reefer Madness,” “Pump Boys and Dinettes” and “The Andrews Brothers.”

Atlanta author and playwright Pearl Cleage penned the script for “A Song for Corretta,” which opens in January 2008 at 7 Stages Theatre. The play, performed last season at Spelman College, made the top 10 list the city’s of past shows and the list of productions not to miss in the future. CREDIT: www.allfordtrotman.com

10 BEST UPCOMING SHOWS

Mark your calendars
Top 10 highlights of the upcoming theater season
By Bert Osborne

1. The powerful and touching Greek myth about Orpheus and Eurydice was merely one of many unforgettable segments in director Richard Garner’s sumptuous Georgia Shakespeare staging of “Metamorphoses.” So who better than Garner to tell the full tale in the Alliance’s co-production of “EURYDICE” (March 14–April 13)?

2. Gary Yates will direct Theatrical Outfit’s “GEE’S BEND” (Nov. 7–Dec. 2), a true story focusing on the lives and artwork of a group of Southern black women. Their quilts span history—from the Depression through the Civil Rights movement and into the present. Shontelle Thrash and Donna Biscoe head the ensemble.

3. Theatre in the Square’s “THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED” (March 30–April 27) is a scathing comedy about Hollywood players—a closeted young actor, his acerbic agent and a hunky hustler. At the helm is Alan Kilpatrick, who did exceedingly well directing the group’s similarly controversial “Take Me Out” in 2005.

4. Atlanta actor John Ammerman directs his original play “SLAPPING BERNARD” for Theater Emory (Nov. 8–18). Set during World War II and visualized in black and white as an homage to film noir, it embroils a French movie company in a plot to assassinate a top Nazi. The cast features Hugh Adams and Glenn Rainey.

5. A full-blown professional production of Pearl Cleage’s drama “A SONG FOR CORETTA” at 7 Stages (Jan. 17–Feb. 17). Director Crystal Dickinson and leading lady Andrea Frye return from the initial Spelman show (see this year’s Top 10 list), joined by new costars Marguerite Hannah and Bobbi Lynne Scott.

6–10. Georgia Ensemble’s entire 15th-anniversary season: “GOD’S MAN IN TEXAS” (Sept. 6–23); “SEASON’S GREETINGS” (Nov. 8–25); “SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS” (Jan. 3–20); “GREAT EXPECTATIONS” (Feb. 21–March 9); and “TRIPLE ESPRESSO” (March 27–April 13). After three years of bitter complaints about the company’s reliance on overly familiar material, I’m proud to say I haven’t seen a one of these five plays before. They might be the first times I’ll ever walk into the Roswell theater without any preconceptions—and I can’t wait. Ignorance is bliss!