Theatrical Outfit Announces 2023-24 Season

Atlanta, GA—Theatrical Outfit proudly announces it’s 2023024 season.

Passing Strange
Sept 27-Oct 22, 2023

A soulful and electrifying coming of age musical, PASSING STRANGE takes us on an odyssey in search of identity, acceptance, and the “Real”.  A young man discovers his musical calling and sets off for Europe, leaving behind his mother and comfortable suburban life. In his rebellion filled with sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, he yearns for something in life that he thinks can only be found in art. Bursting with energizing punk, blues, gospel, and jazz music, this Tony Award-winning musical radiates with humor and heart. PASSING STRANGE is by far “The Freshest Musical In Town” (Wall Street Journal).

A Christmas Story
Nov 29-Dec 24, 2023

Gather the entire family for a new holiday theatrical tradition – A CHRISTMAS STORY live on stage! The world’s most famous nine-year-old – Ralphie Parker – takes us on a hysterical, hijinks-filled avalanche of adventure filled with all the trappings of a perfect family holiday – an exploding furnace, an innocent experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost, a Red Ryder range bb gun with a compass in the stock, and a wild rash of theatrical fantasies not for the “fra-gee-lay” of heart.  Come see this beloved Christmas story live on stage for a night filled with madcap humor, unforgettable characters, and the true warmth of the holiday season.

REMEMBER THIS: The Lesson of Jan Karski
Jan 24-Feb 18, 2024

REMEMBER THIS: The Lesson of Jan Karski comes to Atlanta direct from an acclaimed off-Broadway and international run. This dazzling, tour de force solo performance tells the story of Jan Karski, a Polish diplomat and freedom fighter during WWII who battled his way across war-torn Europe to bring news of the Holocaust to Western governments.  From the Warsaw ghetto to the Oval Office, this daring and incredible story explores how this self-described “insignificant little man” risked his life in an act of extraordinary moral courage. Starring Andrew Benator, star of last season’s hit comedy The White Chip, you won’t want to miss this “soul-searing masterpiece” (Hudson Valley One).

Clyde’s
Mar 13-April 7, 2024

CLYDE’S is a sweet and salty new Broadway comedy from Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat).  In the kitchen of a truck stop diner near Reading, PA, a group of formerly incarcerated cooks work together to get their shot at redemption.  As their fiery boss cranks up the pressure, and a new staff member rocks the boat, they have to unite to fight back the only way they can: by making the perfect sandwich. Deeply felt, quirky, and urgent, CLYDE’S shows Lynn Nottage’s “genius for bringing politically charged themes to life by embodying them in ordinary characters living ordinary lives” (The Wall Street Journal)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
May 15-June 9, 2024

Join us for a stunning new production of Edward Albee’s timeless masterpiece of miscommunication, starring Atlanta stage and film legend, Tess Malis Kincaid. On the campus of a small New England college, George and Martha invite a new professor and his wife home for a nightcap. As the cocktails flow, the young couple find themselves caught in the crossfire of a savage battle of wits and wills.  With some of the best dialogue ever written for the stage, this unforgettable, dark, and hilarious play is a timeless exploration of human relationships, power dynamics, and the search for truth in a world of illusion.

Something Brewing at Springer Opera House

The cast of ‘Cotton Patch Gospel’ Back row (L to R): Justin Belew, Isiah Harper, Dean Justice, Jeff Snider Seated: Michelle Justice Kneeling: Keith Patrick McCoy

Columbus, GA–Dubbed “The Greatest Story Ever Re-Told,” Cotton Patch Gospel is the exuberant musical that tells the story of the life of Jesus, but set in modern-day, rural Georgia.  Jesus is born the son of a carpenter in Gainesville, meets a country preacher named John the Baptizer on the banks of the Chattahoochee and delivers the Sermon on the Mount on Stone Mountain.

The show will run as part of the Springer Opera House’s Outdoor Theatre Festival along with other musicals and children’s theatre shows. Opening March 24 in the newly-built Springer amphitheater, Cotton Patch Gospel arrives just in time for the Easter season.

“In this season of renewal, rebirth, and hope, Cotton Patch Gospel is just what the world needs right now,” explained Springer producing artistic director Paul Pierce.  “With music by the late, great Harry Chapin (Cat’s in the Cradle, Taxi) Cotton Patch Gospel is marked by a feeling of childlike belief, wonder and simple reverence.”

“We all remember the Sunday school lesson where the teacher asked, “What if Jesus were born today? How would you react?”  This show takes that simple question and brings it to life,” Pierce said.

The script was adapted from the Rev. Clarence Jordan’s book “Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John” by Tom Key and Russell Treyz.  Tom Key was the long-time artistic director of The Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta who recently retired.  Mr. Key collaborated with Grammy Hall of Fame honoree, Harry Chapin – one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in music history – to create the songs for Cotton Patch Gospel. Chapin won Grammy Awards in the 1970s for chart-topping hits like Cat’s in the Cradle, Taxi, Dreams Go By, W.O.L.D. and Sunday Morning Sunshine.

Connection to Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing

“Cotton Patch” author Rev. Clarence Jordan was a farmer who grew up in nearby Talbotton, Georgia, and sought to improve the lives of sharecroppers through scientific farming techniques. He was ordained at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and obtained a Ph.D. in Greek New Testament in 1938. In 1942, Jordan and his wife, Florence, founded Koinonia Farm, a 440-acre interracial farming community near Americus, Georgia.  As the Civil Rights Movement progressed, Koinonia Farm became the target of boycotts, violence, and bombings.

In the 1960s, as hostilities subsided in Sumter County, Jordan turned his attention to writing and speaking.  Through his expertise in New Testament Greek, Jordan translated the Synoptic Gospels using homespun language that his Southern audiences could relate to. Thus, Jerusalem became Atlanta, Pontius Pilate became the Governor of Georgia and Bethlehem became Gainesville. 

In 1965, two millionaires, Millard and Linda Fuller, from Lanett, Alabama, became dissatisfied with their wealthy and privileged lifestyle and moved to Koinonia Farm to serve Rev. Jordan’s mission.  The partnership resulted in the founding of Habitat for Humanity in 1976 and later, the Fuller Center for Housing. Fuller is internationally regarded as the founder of the affordable housing movement.

The Springer Production

Cotton Patch Gospel stars Keith Patrick McCoy as the apostle Matthew, who tells the story of Jesus’ life: birth to death to Resurrection.  Harry Chapin’s songs span musical styles from country to blues to folk to Gospel to bluegrass to jazz. The on-stage band is comprised of Michelle Justice, Justin Belew, Isiah Harper, Dean Justice and Jeff Snider. Pierce is the director of the show.

Cotton Patch Gospel runs March 24, 25, April 2 at 8:00 pm and March 27, 28, and April 3 at 2:30 pm. For tickets, call the Springer box office at 706-327-3688 or visit the Springer website at springeroperahouse.org.  Group rates are available for churches, youth groups, and senior groups.

Photo provided by Allie Kent

The Greatest Story Ever Retold Closing Theatrical Outfit’s Season

The beloved musical returns home just when we need its radical hope – now more than ever. Inspired by Clarence Jordan’s provocative The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John and produced and cherished worldwide since its conception in 1981, this soul-rouser with boundless heart sets the story of Jesus in the American South. In downtown Atlanta in 2020, Cotton Patch Gospel promises to raise the roof with joy!

Location:  Theatrical Outfit (84 Luckie St NW in the Balzer Theatre at Herren’s in Atlanta, GA  30303)

Dates:  April 22-May 17, 2020

Performance Times:  Wed-Sat at 7:30pm.  Sat-Sun at 2:30pm.

Tickets:  $15-$45.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.theatricaloutfit.org or contact the Box Office at 678-528-1500 between the hours of 10am-6pm Monday-Friday and 90 minutes before showtime.

Cast

Tom Key

Jeff McKerley

Cody Evan Jones

Karen Howell

Chani Maisonet

Candy McLellan

Joel Ishman

JD Myers