Theater performer Andrew Benator’s 11 Good Things

Andrew Benator is an actor based in Atlanta seen on stages and screens across the country. In the last several years, he’s worked primarily at the Alliance Theater, where this fall he’ll be reprising the role of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for the sixth year, and at Theatrical Outfit, where he can currently be seen in Arthur Miller’s play The Price. 

Here, in no particular order, are his 11 good things.

1. Dogs. They’re just the best. So loyal and loving. We have two — King and Luther.

2. Cats. So sweet and soft, then they bite your fingers. It can be confusing. Ours are Richard, Lefty and Francine.

3. Thomson Park. The woodsy park in my neighborhood. A gem of a trail-filled, 30-acre park. Step inside, and forget you’re in the city

4. Theatrical Outfit. For me, the most interesting theater programming in town. No film or TV can transport and amaze the way live theater does.

5. LifeLine Animal Project. I’m a passionate supporter of this organization, which runs the Fulton and DeKalb County animal shelters. They and their network of volunteers and fosters work incredibly hard to spay, neuter and keep every dog and cat in Atlanta in a loving home.

6. Books. So much better than scrolling. I’ve never read for an hour and then felt like I’d wasted a small chunk of my life. A couple of great ones lately: What We Can Know by Ian McEwan and Timebends, the autobiography of Arthur Miller.

7. Meals that come in a bowl. Kale Me Crazy, CAVA, Chipotle, CHOPT, etc. I want the whole thing in one bowl, all mixed together.

8. Cosmic crisp apples. Amazing. Everything I want from an apple, conveniently packaged in an apple.

9. The Ezra Klein Show. He makes complexity feel manageable, he lets his guests finish long and complicated thoughts and he trusts that his audience can follow nuance. 

10. The massive ginkgo tree at Woodruff Arts Center. Along Peachtree, just in front of the High Museum. This is my favorite tree in a city full of beautiful trees. Enjoy a coffee from Refuge, sit outside and take it in. Catch it in fall when it’s on yellow fire. 

11. Three percent Spandex content in pants. I’m not proud of this, but it genuinely is a good thing.