Arts Agenda: Theater

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one discipline or venue type in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. Every week, we’ll present a different art form.

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Through July 5

A new kids’ musical with lyrics by Christian Albright and music by Christian Magby, The Great Ant Sleepover is on Alliance Theatre’s new Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families — part of the Underground Rep Package — through July 5.

Through June 21

Did you miss Hot Jambalaya at Dad’s Garage? Get tickets to the show at Horizon Theatre through June 21.

June 3-28

Written by Atlanta native Lauren Gunderson, The Revolutionists portrays the French Revolution through the lens of girl-powered comedy at Theatrical Outfit June 3 through June 28.

June 4-28

Pulitzer Prize winner Wit, staged at Actor’s Express June 4 through June 28 and directed by Freddie Ashley, follows the story of a woman who was out of touch with her emotions until a transformative diagnosis. 

June 5-21

The Book Club Play is like Lord of the Flies with wine and dip. It’s a hit comedy about books and the people who love them. When the members of a devoted book club become the subjects of a documentary filmmaker, their long-standing group dynamics take a hilarious turn. See it at Onstage Atlanta June 5 through June 21.

June 5-28

In Spite of My Ambivalence, a world premiere from Chicago-based playwright Catherine Yu, will take the stage June 5 through June 28 at Synchronicity Theatre. Exploring the complexity of trauma through the lens of five individuals, the play’s intriguing overview drops hints at PTSD, mental health, dance and human connection without elaborating much on a plot.

June 5-28

Gutenberg! The Musical! is a two-person show within a show. This theatrical romp brings to life the (allegedly) improvised two-man version of best pals Bev and Doug’s magnum opus as they dazzle an audience of potential producers and investors at a backers’ audition. With previews June 3 and June 4, the show runs June 5 through June 28 at Dad’s Garage.

June 6-28

In Greg Banks’ The Hobbit, our unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, would much rather be sitting in his cozy hobbit hole with a cup of tea and a plate of bacon and eggs. However, he somehow finds himself on a magical adventure. It’s at Shakepeare Tavern Playhouse June 6 through June 28.

June 9-July 5

True Colors Theatre Company will present Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, based on the teleplay by Robert L. Freedman, at the Southwest Arts Center from June 9 through July 5.

June 11-20

Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation is a gently comic, deeply human portrait of five strangers who gather for a six‑week community‑center drama class and end up transforming one another in unexpected ways. It runs June 11 through June 20 at 7 Stages.

July 2-3

We know the actors and the plays, but what parts will they pull out of the hat to portray? No one will know until two minutes before the play begins with Shakespeare Out of a Hat. Part improv, mostly Shakespeare and all the outrageousness a team of trained Shakespeare actors will pull out of their … hat. And sometimes there’s a dog. The Comedy of Errors is scheduled for July 2, followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream on July 3.

July 2, 9 and 17

Baby Bipolar is the story of one woman’s journey from getting diagnosed with bipolar 1 to embracing a life where that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. See it at 7 Stages July 2, July 9 and July 17.

July 11-August 2

A fairy king and queen come across four runaway lovers and a gaggle of amateur actors trying to rehearse a play in the forest in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Catch it at Shakespeare Tavern July 11 through August 2.