Atlanta is growing. Big-budget feature films like “Captain America” and “Spider-Man” and hit television series like “The Walking Dead” have taken advantage of Georgia’s tax incentives and turned the city into a destination for entertainment professionals to rival Los Angeles and New York.
READ: “In Georgia, There’s More Incentive for Actors”
But local theater is where actors continue to cultivate and hone their skills. Atlanta’s stages are hotbeds for talent, offering plenty of opportunities for performers dedicated to honing their training in professional settings. Newcomers to Atlanta would do well to research the local theater scene’s variety, while Peach State natives need to know how to up their game in an increasingly competitive industry.
Below we round up the most prominent theater companies in Atlanta—the tastemakers, the audience favorites, and most importantly, the employers of talented local actors—and the valuable acting advice their leaders have given Backstage readers.
Alliance Theater
“It is true that there will always be a limited number of roles in any given season,” said Jody Feldman, producer and casting director at the Regional Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre. “But there are many opportunities to doors and windows: readings, workshops, theater for the very young, and understudying.”
Asked what she looks for in potential Alliance actors, Feldman told Backstage, “The ‘it’ factor is a real thing, and yes, a factor. There are people who simply have a natural ability to immerse themselves easily into a script or character, and then there are those who have technical acumen that allows them the same immersion. You must have one or the other to even be considered.... I cannot stress enough that good actors are some of the smartest people I know. They are well read, curious, and have a way of looking at the world and people that allows them access into ideas and worlds that others might not see.”
How do Atlanta actors get involved with this acclaimed company? “Simply submit a headshot and résumé. Anyone with the appropriate training and/or experience will get a general audition when time allows.”
Horizon Theatre
“I look for actors who can think specifically, be in the moment, make strong choices, be positive, are willing to try anything within reason, and not question too much,” said Lisa Adler, co-founder and co-artistic/producing director of Atlanta’s Horizon Theatre. “Actors who enjoy risk-taking and who like to use their whole body and mind in performance. I look for actors with either strong training—BFA or MFA from an established training program or school—or who have deep experience in professional theater.”
Horizon Theatre focuses on fostering up-and-coming acting talent in the Peach State, as well as new plays—“plays that connect people across divides of race, class and gender; plays that celebrate community or explore issues that matter to our audiences; plays that offer hope and encourage positive change,” according to Adler. Also worth checking out: Horizon’s apprentice company!
True Colors Theatre Company
Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun,” “The Wiz Live!”) is the artistic director and co-founder of this stellar theater company in Atlanta. How can actors get involved? Managing director Jenn Dwyer McEwen told readers, “Be prepared. It’s always very apparent when you’re not. That’s the best thing you can do for yourself. Be ready when you go in there.”
She added that Leon looks for confidence in auditioning actors. “Kenny always says, ‘I want the actor to come in, do them, basically throw the mic down, say thank you, and leave. I don’t want to talk. I don’t want the afterwards.’ Come in, kill it, go, and we’ll call you.”
READ: “Tony-Winning Director Kenny Leon’s No. 1 Piece of Audition Advice”
Aurora Theatre
“More than talent, I want an actor who is able to take direction and make an adjustment, someone who is nimble when it comes to process-oriented work,” Justin Anderson, associate artistic director of Aurora Theatre, told Backstage readers. “Couple that with specific, personalized point of view and clear, active choices and you’ve got a match made in heaven!” Located just outside Atlanta in Gwinnett County, Aurora Theatre is always open to actor submissions, which can be sent to casting@auroratheatre.com. What are you waiting for?
Actor’s Express
“Always work a little harder and be a little nicer than the person you’re standing next to,” advised Freddie Ashley, longtime artistic director of Actor’s Express, one of Atlanta’s most prolific and respected theaters. “Also, have plans. Change them if you want, but have them. Take charge of your own life to the extent that you can. Make intentional choices that move you closer to your goals. At the beginning, you may have to take every gig you can get your hands on. But as you start to move through your professional life, you also have to learn when to say no.
“Also, read plays!” Ashley added. “Go see as much theater as you can. Go see things you think you might hate. Go see things you think you might love. See things at large theaters with plentiful resources. See things in tiny spaces and with no budget..... Resist insularity.”
Theatrical Outfit
Tom Key, artistic director of Theatrical Outfit for two decades and a regular on Atlanta’s stages for four, instructed Backstage to view performing as a gift to audiences. “If you view your gift as a way to make a contribution, then you will discover a wonderful career—challenging, terrifying, painful, glorious, meaningful, incomprehensible and in a word, wonderful.... When you audition, instead of saying to yourself, ‘I hope I get this job,’ try ‘Great! I get a chance to act!’ ”
Theatrical Outfit’s casting director, Clifton Guterman, broke down auditions as a three-part process for Atlanta actors. “Part one is everything that happens before you walk in the room when you’re still just you, introducing yourself and answering any questions about your résumé,” he said. “Part two is your preparation, your audition and your scenes you’ve prepared in character. Part three is when you’re back to you, thanking them for the opportunity, and leaving the building. People forget it’s a whole package.”
Atlanta Shakespeare Company
Jeff Watkins, artistic director of the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, stressed that his company is interested in fostering early-career talent. “We’re always looking for young actors, diversity, the next Juliet or Beatrice.” Actors auditioning for this acclaimed company should have “attitude and openness and bravery,” Watkins said. “We’re very interactive with our audience and we’re not interested in rehearsed conversation. I think of us as having the precision of Mozart with the feeling of an improv show. We do not spend a lot of time rehearsing—Shakespeare’s company was in a hurry and so are we. You have to just jump in and run like hell. The young people really rise to that occasion when they know what is expected of them.”
Puppetry Arts Center
“We always bring in a lot of people who look like they’re into puppetry,” said Jon Ludwig, the artistic director of Puppetry Arts Center, one of the country’s foremost hubs for all things puppets. If you’re an actor with a background in physical theater, who can do funny voices and sing, you may want to consider advancing and challenging your craft with puppetry. “Anyone can apply, people with any theatrical background, as long as your proposal makes some sense and is pushing the boundaries of puppetry.”
Atlanta thespians can apply—or are invited—to Puppetry Arts Center, where they expand their horizons at a progressive, professional company. Ludwig told Backstage, “I’ll audition three or four [people] at a time—can you work together? Are you having fun with the puppet or fighting the puppet? Can you breathe as one? Everything starts with the breath in puppetry.” Check them out!
Many of the theater companies above post casting opportunities in Backstage’s casting notices. Keep an eye on our Atlanta audition listings, and submit your materials to the companies you think will foster your growing talent. Break a leg!
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