What to see, do and hear: Gay Men’s Chorus, ‘Wonderful Life,’ ‘Nutcracker’ and more

DANCE

They are everywhere this month — Nutcracker ballets. The Roswell Dance Theatre (with the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance) presents its version at the Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs. This year marks the production’s 35th anniversary. Former Atlanta Ballet dancer Jonah Hooper (pictured above, photo by Charlie McCullers/Atlanta Ballet) is guest artist and as usual there will be dozens of children on stage. Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m. Audiences can meet the fully-costumed dancers one hour before each matinee. Tickets $27 to $50.

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The Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company will perform its inaugural production Breathe this weekend. The one-hour show features 16 separate works choreographed by the company’s director, Lauren Overstreet. Each piece symbolizes the weight and memory of loved ones lost, the different stages and sentiments of grief and how we find meaning in grief At 7 Stages Theatre. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets $29.50; students $15.50.

MUSIC

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs holiday carols along with the score of the classic animated film The Snowman that will be screened overhead Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Symphony Hall. The orchestra will also be joined by a narrator for the beloved tale ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. Glenn E. Alexander II will conduct the orchestra. Tickets are $25.

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The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus performs its 43rd annual Holiday Concert series this weekend at the Cathedral of St. Philip. The shows will feature classic holiday songs and a little holiday camp. The Chorus was founded in 1981 and has performed with such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Leslie Jordan, The Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The first concert is Friday at 8 p.m., with additional shows Saturday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $45; $35 for students, seniors, military and veterans.

BOOKS

The Atlanta History Center will mark the 50th anniversary of Ms. magazine with a panel discussion December 7 at 7:30 p.m. at its Midtown campus. The panelists will include Katherine Spillar, the executive editor of Ms., and Pat Mitchell, former president of CNN and PBS. Joining them will be Ms. contributors Stacy Keltner from Kennesaw State University and Stephane Dunn, a writer and filmmaker who specializes in gender and race. Tickets start at $5 for members, $10 for non-members.

THEATER 

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play opens at Stage Door Theatre this weekend. Written by Joe Landry and directed by Candy McLellan, the production is a unique spin on the 1946 film and depicts five individuals performing the holiday classic over radio waves. Read ArtsATL writer Luke Evans’ recent interview with McLellan to find out how her theater experiences in Atlanta inspired her direction of the play.

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Into the Burrow, a world premiere musical adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit tales, continues its run this week at the Alliance Theatre. Written and directed by Mark Valdez, the play is presented alongside an exhibition at the High featuring Potter’s artwork. In her review, ArtsATL writer Rachel Garbus said Into the Burrow is a “gleeful hour of high-energy musical theater, featuring a three-piece band, several dance numbers and even some rather avant-garde shadow puppetry.” Each $20 ticket includes the play and the art exhibition.

ART+DESIGN

The High Museum of Art will screen five videos by artists from around the world on December 1, World AIDS Day. Titled Day With(out) Art: Everyone I Know Is Sick, the event examines how our society excludes people who are disabled and sick, including those with HIV, Covid-19 and mental illness. The commissioned artists are Dorothy Cheung (Hong Kong), Hiura Fernandes and Lili Nascimento (Brazil), Beau Gomez (Canada/Philippines), Dolissa Medina and Ananias P. Soria (United States) and Kurt Weston (United States). Robinson Atrium. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Included in museum admission, which is free for members, $18.50 for nonmembers. 

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The opening of the new solo exhibit at UTA Artist Space Atlanta is set for Friday, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Feels Like Glitter features work by Atlanta-based painter Ariel Dannielle, who was a MOCA GA Working Artist Fellow of 2019-20 and an Artadia 2018 finalist. She creates large-scale paintings, both playful and personal, that depict the daily experiences of young Black women. Through January 13.

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I Wonder As I Wander is an exhibit of works by a group of women photographers of color who are part of the collective Sistagraphy. The show opens on Saturday at the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum and runs through January 20, when there will be a closing reception and artist’s talk.

FILM+TV

The Atlanta Film Society presents three classes on the basics of filmmaking on Saturday, taught by Linda Burns. The classes include Intro to Film Business from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Getting Started in the Industry from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and Crafting a Proper Film Crew Resume from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. All classes will be streamed online on the Film Society website. Students may enroll in all three for $150 or  a single course for $55.