Over 50 arts organizations (and counting!) have united to showcase online events and digital content for all you shut-ins at home who are missing your regular doses of theatre, music, dance, film and the visual arts! There are also ideas for creative ways you can engage. Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening at ArtBeatsATL.com! And please spread the love.

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VISIT ART BEATS ATLANTA

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ABOUT ART BEATS ATLANTA

Art Beats Atlanta (Art Beats) is a co-op of Atlanta-area arts and culture organizations with a mission to increase engagement between the public and the vibrant professional arts community of the greater Atlanta area. Originally created at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a space to share innovative online arts programming, the long-term goal is to continue to build Art Beats into a platform promoting Atlanta’s vibrant arts ecology.

Announcing the

FIFTH ANNUAL

Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival

August 3, 4, 10, 11, 2020

At Theatrical Outfit In The Heart Of Downtown Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA – May 2020 – The Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival (AMTF) is proud to announce the selections for the Fifth Annual Festival, which will be held August 3, 4, 10, 11, 2020 at Theatrical Outfit in the heart of Downtown Atlanta. The AMTF will be four nights of original musical theatre performances, welcoming both local and national writers, actors, and directors to the Balzer Theater at Herren’s.

Entering into its fifth year, the AMTF is once again looking to redefine all expectations with four new musicals that speak to the essence of culture and community. AMTF is once again returning to the heart of downtown Atlanta with our Presenting Sponsor – Theatrical Outfit. Known for stories that start the conversations that matter, this home is perfect for a lineup of musicals that tackle today’s headlines in unexpected ways. Year five of AMTF promises to be bigger, better, and braver than ever before.

“There is no doubt that our fifth year is going to be AMTF's best year ever,” says new Artistic Director Jeff McKerley. “A beautifully diverse selecting committee has chosen equally diverse brand-new musicals in what is to be an amazing festival! I am thrilled for the powerful women portrayed in this year's selections, as well as the unique musical styles.  From Afro-futurism to steampunk ... from country music to choir music.  We can't wait to present the best new musicals of 2020 to Atlanta!”

ANNOUNCING THE 2020 OFFICAL SELECTIONS:

Melina: A Steampunk Musical Tragedy

Book, Music, Lyrics by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

August 3, 2020

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In the steampunk town of New Comen, Jacob is the esteemed heir who is in love with a lower-class girl named Mara- an aspiring vocalist. Their love is one of fairy tales until Melina enters the scene. The love triangle ends in heartbreak, tossing the town into political turmoil and the fabric of time hangs in the balance of a mysterious detector. Many years pass and life takes unexpected twists, as the fate of Jacob's daughter and Mara's son become intertwined.

SATB The Musical

Book, Music, Lyrics by Dana Lamb-Schoubroeck

April 4, 2020

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Who decides if you’re worthy of love? SATB The Musical tells the story of members of a church choir that discover that the collective sum of their humanity is worth more than their personal imperfections and challenges. The foundational principles of Christian love and acceptance go head to head with racism, political ideology, affairs, orientation, mental health, and tradition in this most unusual love story.

A Song For Adaeze

Conceived by Chiwuzo Ife Okwumabua

Book by Sunni Williams · Music, Lyrics by Chiwuzo Ife Okwumabua

August 11, 2020

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A chance encounter with a mysterious and alluring individual from another dimension, challenges a young woman from a royal legacy to defy the status quo resulting in a chain of events that that can destroy or revitalize the world she has come to love and cherish as her own.

Angels of The Southern Accent

Book, Music, Lyrics by Rus McCoy

August 10, 2020

The story of Margaret Mitchell, the iconic writer of “Gone With The Wind.” A rebel, a feminist and a secret that was held over three decades after her death. The only thing more dramatic than her novel was her actual life.

A STATEMENT ON COVID-19

The staff of AMTF is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19. At this time, we plan to go on with the festival this August with several necessary safety measures in place for artists and patrons including, but not limited to, required masks, hand sanitizing stations, and socially distant seating. Please stay tuned for announcements as we approach festival dates for more information and any changes.

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PRICING AND LOCATION

Full Festival Passes & individual passes will be on sale soon. All four productions will be performed at Theatrical Outfit, at 8pm on August 3, 4, 10, 11, 2020. Theatrical Outfit is located at the historic Balzer Theater at Herren’s (84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.TheAMTF.com.

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ABOUT ATLANTA MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

The Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival was born out of a desire to motivate local artists to continue to write musical theatre. After participating as a Producer in the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2015, Founder Benjamin Taylor Davis saw an opportunity to nurture the local writing population. Once a show is selected, the goals are many: that the piece will grow and evolve in this process; that the artist might learn a new part of the creative process; that a producing theatre or director might become interested in the piece, or the playwright, or an actor; that there are new connections and networks formed. The mission of the AMTF is to “cultivate the next generation of theatre artists by mentoring talent, propelling new musicals forward, and celebrating the community in a supportive, nurturing, and creative environment.”

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The Festival gratefully requests financial support and accepts donations and sponsorships. All donations are tax-deductible, and various levels of sponsorships and coordinating benefits will be available. Details on sponsorship levels are available at www.TheAMTF.com.

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ABOUT THEATRICAL OUTFIT

Atlanta’s second-oldest professional theatre company was founded in 1976 and has been led by Artistic Director Tom Key since fall 1995. Key led the company through the creation of its award-winning downtown home, the Balzer Theater at Herren’s, the first U.S. theater to achieve LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Balzer Theater is also the historical site of Herren’s, the first restaurant in Atlanta to voluntarily desegregate in 1962; its first African American patrons were Dr. Lee and Delores Shelton. Mrs. Shelton passed away in 2019, but Dr. Shelton remains a patron at Theatrical Outfit to this day. Key's programming of classics, regional and world premieres, and musicals tell soulstirring stories, with themes that explore diversity, equality, ethnicity, race, and religion; and often feature the best writers of the American South, including Ernest Gaines, Lauren Gunderson, Horton Foote, Harper Lee, Flannery O’Connor, Janece Shaffer, Sherry Shephard-Massat, Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, and Tennessee Williams. After ten years of capital investment, T.O. is in new territory. Having retired its mortgage, the staff, trustees, and artists have launched a new 2018-2020 Strategic Plan designed to produce great art, diversify and grow our audience, increase revenue and reserves, develop artists who contribute to the dramatic canon, and maintain an effective organization.

A Letter to the Community: Local theatres respond to the coronavirus pandemic

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Below is an open letter from a group of Atlanta theatres, which was published by Atlanta InTown Paper. We'd like to share it with you.

To Our Local Theatre Fans, Friends, and Family:

Right now is an unprecedented time for our community, and the local theatre community will likely be hit especially hard. COVID-19 has caused a great deal of change, and we are all facing a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Currently, our leaders are making the hard but necessary choice to ban mass gatherings of people, and nobody is sure how long this may go on for. This directly affects theatres, as we will most likely be unable to host shows and sell tickets for an extended period of time. Theatres are facing a major loss in revenue because of this. In addition to the impact on our organizations, the performers, artisans, and administrative staff of local theatres are also likely to have personal financial struggles through the coming weeks.

We are coming to you now to ask for your continued support of local theatre, even as we
temporarily shutter our doors. There are three easy ways you can help support us through these uncertain times: make a donation, buy a gift certificate, and talk to your legislators.

Make a donation. All of the theatres listed in this letter are nonprofit organizations. That means that we re-invest any profits we make back into our mission, rather than paying shareholders. As nonprofit organizations, it also means we can accept tax-deductible donations! This is by far the best thing you can do right now to support your local theatres. A pledge for monthly support is also a wonderful way to provide sustained support as we work to recover in the coming months. Finally, if you bought a ticket to a show that gets cancelled, consider turning the cost of that ticket into a donation, rather than asking for a refund.

Buy a gift certificate. Many local theatres have the ability to issue gift certificates that patrons can use for future shows. Please check with the theatres you frequent, and inquire if they can sell a gift certificate. Treat your future self to a night of entertainment, and once life returns to normal we look forward to welcoming you into our theatres!

Talk to your legislators. In the coming weeks there will likely be bills put forth on the state and national levels for economic relief for those affected by COVID-19. Please reach out to your legislators and let them know that nonprofit arts organizations and artists should be included in these relief packages.

We can make it through this together, but local theatres need your support to help weather this storm. Even once COVID-19 passes, theatres will still be facing financial gaps and tight budgets, and will likely be asking for your donation to offset our losses. Please have patience with us. We are all dedicated to bringing you amazing theatrical experiences

We look forward to seeing you once again at our theatres. Until then, stay safe and healthy.

This too shall pass.

7 Stages
Actor’s Express
Alliance Theatre
Aris Theatre
Atlanta Lyric Theatre
Aurora Theatre
Center for Puppetry Arts
City Springs Theatre
Dad’s Garage Theatre
Georgia Ensemble Theatre

Horizon Theatre Company
Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre
Out Front Theatre Company
Serenbe Playhouse
Stage Door Players
Synchronicity Theatre
Theatre Buford
Theatre du Reve
Theatrical Outfit

LISTEN HERE AS ACTOR'S EXPRESS' FREDDIE ASHLEY DISCUSSES WITH WABE'S LOIS REITZES HOW ATLANTA THEATRE'S ARE RESPONDING

AN OPEN LETTER FROM ROB BROOKSHER

Hi folks,

Theatres and theatre artists across the country are facing a potential existential threat due to COVID-19. Most theatre artists live on a paycheck to paycheck, gig to gig basis and have to supplement their art with a second and oftentimes third part-time job.

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Many of these artists might soon find themselves out of work, and as the infection rates continue, we will, guaranteed, have members of our community under quarantine, unable to leave their house and unable to earn an income. To many ATL artists, this will be a devastating financial blow.

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I've started this campaign to do as much as I can for my friends and peers who will be affected. A lot of things are still falling into place, but the first steps of where your money goes are:

- Purchasing of food supplies for a frozen meal prep volunteering group that will create a meal train for those who are quarantined or financially in need due to being out of work, delivering nutritious food and supplies to the doorsteps of those artists who are in financial need.

- Purchasing of necessary essentials for artists in financial need (pain medications, fever reducers, electrolytes, etc)

**NONE OF THIS MONEY WILL GO TO ME, JUST DOING MY PART :) **

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Please consider donating if you have the means, and please share!     CLICK HERE TO DONATE

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If you are interested in volunteering/organizing, please visit our Facebook group:

Atlanta Artist Emergency Relief Volunteers

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199541764601434/

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Stay safe out there!