Photo essay: “Dark Houses” project shines light on the quiet engulfing Atlanta stages

ATLANTA PHOTOGRAPHER MICHAEL BOATRIGHT loves theater. Always has. When Covid-19 forced metro playhouses to go dark — some in the midst of runs, others with shows about to open — he meditated on how to help. “The thing I’m trying to bring out is the sense of emptiness and loss represented by these empty theaters,” he says. “It’s easy to lose sight of the sheer vastness of the impact on the theater community caused by lockdowns and social distancing.” His answer: Dark Houses.

Companies large and small have been shuttered for some 125 days . . . and counting. Actors, directors, choreographers, stage managers, carpenters, painters, electricians and set, lighting, costume, sound, props and video designers are unemployed. Some companies have furloughed staff members. No one knows what the 2020–21 season will look like, save for the Alliance Theatre, which has announced a lineup of in–person, drive–in and virtual shows that will (hopefully) commence in November. Most other theaters are evaluating weekly, if not daily, how best to proceed.

Boatright, 61, grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where his photographer–dad taught him how to shoot and process film in a darkroom. “There is something magical to me in setting up a shot, getting the exposure, focus, composition right and then using chemistry to create an image.”

Boatright wants you to look at his photos, of course, but also to act on them — by donating to your favorite company, to the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival’s Artist Relief Fund, to C4 Atlanta’s Artist Lost Gig Fund or the Atlanta Artist Relief Fund, which prepares and delivers healthy meals to those without paychecks.

Boatright has photographed 20–25 spaces to date and has invested about 150 hours of his time, all for free. He’s still trying to nail down shoots at several venues, including True Colors Theatre Company/Southwest Arts Center, but here are 10 of his images.

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