12 Atlanta arts events to look forward to this week

From visual arts to music to theater, the Atlanta metro area has an active arts scene offering something for nearly everyone. This upcoming week, “The Ghastly Dreadfuls” use their talents to tell gothic tales at the Center for Puppetry Arts. And “Marvin: the Marvin Gaye Musical” chronicles the life of the Motown icon at Clayton County and Cobb Energy performing arts centers.

The following 12 events will help you explore Atlanta’s arts and culture in the upcoming week.

“The Ghastly Dreadfuls”

This ensemble of musicians, dancers and puppeteers plays instruments, sings, dances, acts and incorporates various puppetry styles to tell gothic tales. Highlights include “The 11:59,” based on Patricia C. McKissack’s short story about a former Pullman porter who hears a ghost train’s ominous whistle, and a silly graveyard dance set to Saint-Saëns’ “Dance Macabre.”

Wednesday, Oct. 7 through Saturday, Oct. 31. $29 and up. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW (at 18th Street), Atlanta. 404-873-3391, puppet.org.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: Brahms + Wagner

Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann leads the next installment in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s “Brahms Revealed” series, his Third Symphony. It contrasts with the opulence of Richard Wagner with excerpts from three operas including Prelude and “Liebestod” from “Tristan and Isolde.”

8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 and Saturday, Oct. 10. $41.45 and up. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4800, aso.org.

Stage Door Theatre: “Ripcord”

Written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, “Ripcord” features two women in a senior living home who engage in a dangerous game of one-upmanship.

Select dates from Thursday, Oct. 8 to Sunday, Oct. 18. $20-$36. Stage Door Theatre, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-396-1726, ci.ovationtix.com.

Alliance Theatre: “Like Father”

A coming-of-age musical with an innovative folk-pop score, “Like Father” is inspired by loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers as well as the meteoric rise of the true-crime industry. It won the Open Jar Studios’ Broadway Shark Tank, where musical writing teams pitch their original show to a panel of industry experts, and was a National Music Theater Conference semifinalist at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

Thursday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Nov. 15. $45 and up. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org.

Jazz at All Saints: The Rodney Jordan Quartet

The Grammy Award-nominated jazz bassist and his quartet will perform selections from their album “Memphis Blue” and will premiere new works written specifically for this concert celebrating their longstanding friendships in Atlanta.

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. $25. All Saints Episcopal Church, 634 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. 404-881-0835, allsaintsatlanta.org.

OkCello’s “Epiphany”

Atlanta-based Okorie “OkCello” Johnson is a cellist, composer, looper, improviser and storyteller who presents an interactive experience that features these skills and adds in audience participation.

7:30-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. $10-$59. Georgia Tech Ferst Center for the Arts, 349 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta. 404-894-9600, arts.gatech.edu.

Callanwolde Fine Arts: Jazz on the Lawn

Callanwolde Fine Arts Center’s latest Jazz on the Lawn event features Joe Gransden’s Big Band with Maria Howell.

7:30-9:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9. $38.43 and up. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta. 404-872-5338, callanwolde.org.

“Transcultural Gaze”

The Southeastern premiere of “Transcultural Gaze,” an exhibition by Wole Lagunju, one of Nigeria’s most prominent contemporary artists, features new works continuing the exploration of Yoruba traditional aesthetics through the lens of mass media, fashion and Western iconography.

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, opening reception, 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, artist talk. Alan Avery Art Company, 656 Miami Circle NE, Atlanta. 404-237-0370, alanaveryartcompany.com.

“Marvin: The Marvin Gaye Musical”

This new touring musical from Je’Caryous Entertainment chronicles the life of Marvin Gaye, including his meteoric rise at Motown and groundbreaking artistry, his memorable relationships and personal battles. Musical numbers are drawn from the Motown songbook.

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. $80 and up. Clayton County Performing Arts Center, 2530 Mount Zion Parkway, Jonesboro. 770-473-2878, ticketmaster.com. And 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. $73.50 and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2852, cobbenergycentre.com.

Hapeville Fall Gallery Crawl

Hapeville’s growing arts district is highlighted as downtown businesses are transformed into pop-up gallery spaces showcasing the work of Atlanta and regional artists. Open studios at Hapeville’s Goat Farm satellite and exhibitions by Hapeville Main Street Artist Residents in the art container studios are also part of the event.

4-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Free. 591 N. Central Ave., Hapeville. 404-334-7500, atldistrict.com.

Mable House Arts Center: Art in Motion

The Mable House Arts Center grounds transform into a lively outdoor gallery experience with exhibitions and more as guests are invited to “step inside the frame” by dressing as their favorite famous artwork.

4-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Free. Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. 770-528-1000, cobbcounty.gov.

Georgia Philharmonic: Dvořák’s New World Symphony

The Georgia Philharmonic’s 42nd season opens with Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from “Eugene Onegin” and Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante.

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. $30. Lassiter Concert Hall, 2601 Shallowford Road, Marietta. georgiaphilharmonic.org.