The Braves have just started spring training games in Florida, while back in Atlanta three theater companies are stretching out with plays sporting a baseball backdrop.
Here’s the lineup:
- Georgia Ensemble Theatre continues with local actor Jacob York's "Homers" through March 15.
Diany Rodriguez plays a reporter for an unnamed Atlanta daily newspaper (hmm…) who struggles over objectivity about beloved home teams including the Braves as well as over a tempting job offer from a Los Angeles sports blog. She weighs that against family responsibility following her father’s stroke.
Post-show on Friday evenings, there’s “Extra Innings,” a chance to buy a drink and mingle with the cast.
Through March 15. $25-$35. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. 770-641-1260, www.get.org.
- Stage Door Players opens Richard Dresser's "Rounding Third," an odd-couple comedy about two Little League coaches attempting to reconcile sharply contrasting approaches, on March 20.
Don (Robin Bloodworth) is the tough, blue-collar, win-at-all-costs veteran coach whose son is the star pitcher. Michael (Vince Pisani) is the winning-isn’t-everything newcomer to town who signs on as Don’s assistant so he can share a special activity with his son.
Through April 12. $30, with discounts for seniors, students and youth. 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-396-1726, www.stagedoorplayers.net.
- Atlanta Lyric Theatre will present "Damn Yankees," the classic 1950s musical comedy, starting April 10.
The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend in which middle-aged baseball fan Joe Boyd sells his soul for the chance to lead his favorite Washington Senators in a pennant race against the despised New York Yankees.
Through April 26. $35-$55. Cobb Civic Center's Jennie T. Anderson Theatre, 548 S. Marietta Parkway, Marietta. 404-377-9948, www.atlantalyrictheatre.com.
EVENT
‘Citizens and Soldiers’ puts Civil War in sights
On Saturday, the Atlanta History Center will host “Citizens and Soldiers,” a family-friendly program that presents the Civil War from different perspectives — the soldiers on the field, families on the home front and the enslaved.
The 11 a.m.-4 p.m. event features encampments, reenactments and demonstrations on the 1860s Smith Family Farm. Inside the museum, there will be tours of the long-term Civil War exhibition “Turning Point: The American Civil War” as well as “Confederate Odyssey: The George W. Wray Collection,” an exhibit of nearly 200 rare and one-of-a-kind artifacts used by the gray side whose run wraps March 15.
Other highlights include Meet the Past presentations involving figures such as Union spy Mary Elizabeth Bowser; firing demonstrations of muskets and other weapons; a Civil War variety show showcasing daring feats and period music; and “Cast Iron Chef” competitions.
$16.50; ages 65 and up and students 13 and up, $13; ages 4-12, $11. 130 W. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. 404-814-4000, atlantahistorycenter.com/family.
MUSIC
Celebrating 75, Choral Guild takes on ‘The Creation’
Amid its 75th anniversary season, making it one of the country’s oldest choral groups, the Choral Guild of Atlanta will present Franz Joseph Haydn’s “The Creation” (Parts I and II) on March 15.
Music director Clair Maxwell will conduct the ensemble, which will be joined by an orchestra and tenor, bass and soprano soloists.
The 4 p.m. concert is at Northside Drive Baptist Church. $15, $12 seniors, $5 students. 3100 Northside Drive, Atlanta. A free (with donations accepted) preview concert will be presented at 4 p.m. Saturday at Saint John's Episcopal Church, 3480 East Main St., College Park. 404-223-6362, www.cgatl.org.
VISUAL ART
MOCA GA features 77 Georgia artists in ‘Gathered’
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia is offering a wide-screen view of work being produced by artists in Georgia in the new exhibition “Gathered: Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists.”
The 81-work show by 77 artists from across the state was curated by a quartet of Georgia artists: LaGrange photographer John D. Lawrence, director of the Lamar Dodd Art Center at LaGrange College; Atlanta artist Jiha Moon; Athens muralist Joseph Norman, a University of Georgia art professor; and August sculptor Brian Rust, who teaches at Augusta State University.
From 1,133 pieces submitted by more than 384 artists, they selected the pieces for “Gathered,” MOCA GA’s second Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists exhibit. Like the first one in 2013, the mission was simple: to assemble some of the best work currently being produced in Georgia, rather than to do a survey or to find a common theme.
Through April 11. 75 Bennett St., Atlanta. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. $8; $5 students with ID and ages 65 and older. 404-367-8700, www.mocaga.org.
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