12 metro Atlanta arts events to look forward to in the coming week

From visual arts to music to theater, the metro Atlanta area has an active arts scene offering something for nearly everyone. Happenings this upcoming week include SoundNOW, an annual classical contemporary music festival, and “Bleeding Hearts,” a farce by playwright Steve Yockey. The following 12 events will help you explore Atlanta’s arts and culture in the upcoming week.

Watch the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company on Sunday as dancers and choreographers practice their art as part of the Dance Lab series at the High Museum of Art. (Courtesy of the High Museum of Art)

Dance Lab

Get behind-the-scenes insights as you watch the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company rehearse and see how dancers and choreographers practice their art.

10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, plus additional dates. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4400, high.org/dance-lab.

“A Fine Line” exhibition

This four-artist exhibit includes works by Kate Hooray Osmond, whose “Americana” paintings explore her relationship with America’s shifting landscape; Nancy Talero’s “Super Nature,” a series of geometric modular paintings exploring the natural and supernatural worlds; Shannon Davis’ “Conversations in Motion,” a series of photographic digital compositions; and Laura Dargan’s “Threshold of Actuality,” which pays homage to nature using cyanotype and painting.

Continuing through March 20. Spalding Nix Fine Art, 425 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE, Suite 30A, Atlanta. 404-841-7777, spaldingnixfineart.com/exhibitions.

Chamber Cartel is one of the groups performing at SoundNOW, a classical contemporary music festival that continues Wednesday through Sunday at Georgia State University. (Courtesy of Chamber Cartel)

SoundNOW

The annual classical contemporary music festival features performances by Ayres & Graces, the Atlanta Contemporary Ensemble, Chamber Cartel and more.

Continuing Wednesday-Sunday. Georgia State University’s Florence Kopleff Recital Hall, 15 Gilmer St., Atlanta. atlantasoundnowfestival.com.

“Bleeding Hearts”

Former Atlanta playwright Steve Yockey brings to the stage this farce about the disappearing middle class and how people forget to put themselves in each other’s shoes. He’s known for helping create HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant” and Netflix’s “Dead Boy Detectives” as well as being a writer and producer of the CW network’s “Supernatural.”

Wednesday-Friday preview performances; regular performances run Saturday through Feb. 22. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. 678-528-1500, theatricaloutfit.org/bleeding-hearts.

“Echoes of Diaspora” exhibit reception

The opening reception highlights the work of 13 artists from Europe, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Africa whose works are designed to preserve cultural memory and foster trans-Atlantic dialogue. Opera singer Lise Boula will perform.

6-8:30 p.m. Thursday. Free, pay what you can or donate the suggested amount of $20. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta. 404-872-5338, callanwolde.org.

Atlanta Symphony’s America @ 250: Copland + Barber

Guest conductor Leonard Slatkin leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s performance, beginning with his own “Schubertiade: An Orchestral Fantasy” followed by young violin virtuoso Randall Goosby playing Samuel Barber’s “Violin Concerto.” The performance concludes with Aaron Copland’s “Third Symphony,” which includes the iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Thursday and Saturday. $39.30 and up. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, 404-733-4800. aso.org/events.

“Carlyle Brown’s The African Company Presents Richard III”

Based on a true story, this production, returning after a highly praised 2025 staging at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, tells the story of William Henry Brown, a free Black American, who organized a Black production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” 40 years before the abolition of slavery. He’s faced with a producer who wants to shut the show down as well as actors who aren’t sure of their place in the English drama or the consequences of presenting the play in their own way.

7:30 p.m. Thursday (preview) through Saturday, Jan. 31, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; homeschool classes, 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 2; 10 a.m. student matinees Feb. 3 and 4. Adults $30 and up, students $20, preview $20. Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, 499 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-874-5299, shakespearetavern.com.

“Black Girl Therapy 2” play

Six Black girls who are strangers attend a group-therapy session in which they’re asked to choose a number that will define who they are. Audience members at this Tre Floyd Productions play are encouraged to find their own numbers and determine what their breaking points are.

Thursday-Sunday. $48.08 up. 7 Stages Theater, 1105 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-523-7647, 7stages.org.

“Girl From the North Country” musical

Bob Dylan’s songs come to life in this Broadway musical set in a modest boarding house in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1934.

Thursday through March 8. $25.75 and up. Actor’s Express Theatre, 887 W. Marietta St. SW, Atlanta. 404-607-7469, actors-express.com.

Zachariah Porter comedy

Comedian Zachariah Porter brings “The Big Back Behavior Tour” to Atlanta with personal storytelling, stand-up, character skits, comedic sketches and more.

8 p.m. Saturday. $35.25 and up. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 404-843-2825, thebuckheadtheatre.com.

“Inner Views,” an exhibit featuring the work of 14 diverse contemporary artists, continues through March 14 at One Contemporary Gallery. (Courtesy of One Contemporary Gallery)

“Inner Views” exhibit

This exhibition features the work of 14 diverse contemporary artists who reflect on home, family and community.

11 a.m.-5 p.m., continuing through March 14. One Contemporary Gallery, 395 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. onecontemporarygallery.com.