Even before cooler temperatures prevail, Atlanta’s arts organization and entertainment presenters launch their fall seasons, filling venues across the city with bountiful events. Here’s a peek at some highly anticipated offerings coming soon.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys”
Rolling into town after a successful run at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, this collection owned by the glamorous music industry couple Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys includes works by art icons like Barkley Hendricks and Lorna Simpson and newer works from Michelle Obama portrait artist Amy Sherald. Above all, the collection is a guidepost for other Black collectors and a show of self-love. Look for late-night access to the exhibition on Nov. 22 for the Sneaker Ball. Sept. 13-Jan. 19, 2025. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4400, high.org
Credit: Abigail Photos
Credit: Abigail Photos
Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre
Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre co-founder Rachel Van Buskirk, 20 years a prominent Atlanta dancer, has carried ballet partnering to a rare degree of depth, finesse and amplitude, notably when paired with dancer Christian Clark. In “Out of the Box, Series II,” Terminus’ first of two much-anticipated fall productions, Van Buskirk will give her final performances before relocating to Houston. The production run will also feature new company dancers and world premieres by Jennifer Archibald and Shane Tyler Urton. Choreographer Tara Lee has created a special duet for Van Buskirk and Clark, which they’ll perform only on opening and closing nights. Sept. 14-22. Tula Art Center, White Box Theatre, 75 Bennett St. NW, Atlanta. 404-446-0510, terminusmbt.com
Credit: Courtesy of Brantley Guitierrez
Credit: Courtesy of Brantley Guitierrez
Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song
It’s a well-known fact that former President Jimmy Carter has always been a big music fan. In honor of his upcoming 100th birthday, an appropriately wide-ranging slate of friends, fans and admirers will gather at the Fox Theatre for a gala salute to the iconic politician’s life and accomplishments. At press time, announced guests include Chuck Leavell, Drive-By Truckers, Maren Morris, D-Nice, Eric Church, Dale Murphy and Sean Penn. Sept. 17. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 855-285-8499, foxtheater.org.
“The Chinese Lady”
The Alliance Theatre presents this two-person play based on the real-life story of Afong Moy, a 14-year-old Chinese girl who traveled to New York in the 1830s and wound up being put on display as a living exhibit. White people would pay to watch her brew tea, eat with chopsticks and other performative aspects of her cultural heritage. Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim on “Gilmore Girls,” plays the title role. It’s written by playwright Lloyd Suh, whose gorgeous, dreamlike play about loss and family during the Korean War, “Bina’s Apples,” had its world premiere at the Alliance two years ago. Sept. 18-Oct. 13. Alliance Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org
Credit: Atlanta Opera
Credit: Atlanta Opera
“La Boheme” / “Rent”
Atlanta Opera continues to push the artform’s boundaries by pairing immersive productions of Jonathan Larson’s rock musical “Rent” with a contemporary adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” in repertory at a warehouse in Pullman Yards. Accompanied by a five-piece rock combo, “Rent” explores the lives of bohemians living in New York City’s East Village during the height of the AIDS epidemic, while the opera that inspired it, “La Boheme,” follows the lives of bohemians in modern day Brooklyn grappling with the COVID-19 lockdown. It will be accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra. Patrons can expect the music and action to occur all around them while visual artists create artworks during the show. James Lowe conducts. Sept. 19-Oct. 5. Pullman Yards, Warehouse 10, 225 Rogers St., Atlanta. 404-881-8885, atlantaopera.org
Ideas Festival Emory
This fall the university debuts an inaugural event designed to bring together some of the brightest, most innovative minds in the areas of science, music, literature, film, history and more to engage in conversations with one another and others. Presented by the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement, the event kicks off with a keynote event featuring rapper and record executive Jermaine Dupri followed by two days of sessions, all held on the Oxford campus. Participants include documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple, environmental activist and author Janisse Ray, James Beard Award winner Virginia Willis and Carrie Buse, head of design for Mattel’s Future Lab, among others. Admission is free but registration is required. Sept. 20-22. Oxford College of Emory University, 801 Emory St., Oxford. ideasfestival.emory.edu
Credit: Scott Turner Schofield
Credit: Scott Turner Schofield
Out on Film
Organizers fielded nearly 1,000 entries for this 37th annual celebration of LGBTQ cinema. The full lineup hasn’t been released yet, but a sneak peek at a couple of entries includes the highly anticipated world premiere of “Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps,” a one-man show starring Atlanta actor and activist Scott Turner Schofield. Compiled from 15 years of archival footage, live performance and animation, the film re-imagines the transition narrative from Schofield’s unique trans masculine perspective. Schofield also appears in the short film “Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye,” directed by Jonathan Andre Culliton. A select number of festival films will be available for streaming through Oct. 13. Sept. 26-Oct. 6. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. Out Front Theatre Company, 999 Brady Ave. NW, Atlanta. outonfilm.org
Atlanta Art Week / Atlanta Art Fair
Atlanta will be ground zero for artists, gallerists and collectors during the first week of October. That’s when Atlanta Art Week, founded three years ago by plucky arts writer and curator Kendra Walker, overlaps with a new kid in town, the Atlanta Art Fair, staged by the same team that puts on events across the country like the Seattle Art Fair. Atlanta Art Week collaborates with local galleries across the city to host a series of fall shows. At Pullman Yards, Atlanta Art Fair will showcase works from a bevy of local galleries in addition to far flung art spaces from Los Angeles to South Korea, Colombia and Ireland. Atlanta Art Week, Sept. 30-Oct. 6, various venues, atlantaartweek.co. Atlanta Art Fair, Oct. 3-6. Pullman Yards, Porter Hall, 225 Rogers St. NE, Atlanta. theatlantaartfair.com
Decatur Book Festival / Book Festival of the MJCCA
After taking a hiatus last year, the Decatur Book Festival returns this fall with director Leslie Wingate at the helm and some high-profile authors on the bill, including keynote speaker Joyce Carol Oates and kidnote speaker Stacey Abrams. The full lineup is still to come but expect multiple stages, exhibitor booths, a cooking stage and activities for kids. The following month, the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta kicks off, bringing dozens of authors to town over a span of two weeks. As usual the lineup features high profile authors and celebrities including Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical officer to the president; bestselling author Emily Giffin; and Michael Richards, who played Kramer on “Seinfeld.” Decatur Book Festival, Oct. 4-5. Various venues in downtown Decatur. decaturbookfestival.com. Book Festival of the MJCCA, Nov. 2-17. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. atlantajcc.org
Credit: Ryan Fleisher for the AJC
Credit: Ryan Fleisher for the AJC
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish hits Atlanta hard with two full evenings of music, centered around tracks from her engaging third album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” One of the nation’s hottest touring acts at the moment, Eilish is playing the enormodomes this time around and most are already sold out, including her Atlanta shows. Nov. 2-3. State Farm Arena, 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. 800-745-3000, statefarmarena.com.
Credit: ALLEN SULLIVAN / aesullivan@ajc.com
Credit: ALLEN SULLIVAN / aesullivan@ajc.com
Andre 3000
The welcome return of one of the city’s favorite ATLiens will surely be one of the music highlights of the season. A full year after its release, “New Blue Sun” is still propelling Outkast emcee Andre 3000 around the world. The experimental hip-hop flutist’s latest tour is scheduled to end right here in his hometown with a celebratory performance at the legendary Fox Theatre. Joining him are percussionist Carlos Nino, keyboardists Surya Botofasina and Nate Mercereau and drummer Deantoni Parks. Nov. 14. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 855-285-8499. foxtheatre.org.
Yo-Yo Ma and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
A giant in his field, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has recorded more than 120 albums — 19 of them Grammy winners; he has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of the Arts; and he is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, among many more accolades. For one night only, he will perform Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 and “Bachianas Brasileiras” No. 5 by Villa-Lobos with the ASO. The program also includes Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8. Eric Jacobsen of the Silkroad Ensemble conducts. Dec. 5. Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-733-4800, aso.org
— Contributors include Felicia Feaster, Alexis Hauk, Cynthia Perry and Lee Valentine Smith
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