THEATER
Celebrate Halloween at Dad’s Garage. On Friday at 8 p.m., there’s Murder, She Improvised! Conjuring the House of Usher, a mystery “whodunnit” show with cursed objects. On both Friday or Saturday night at 10:30 p.m., Vavianna Vardot’s Famous Sex Party Presents Halloween at The Mansion, a comedic burlesque variety show with Amber Nash — plus a costume contest. Tickets start at $25.
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For family-friendly Halloween fare, visit the Center for Puppetry Arts for a performance of The Headless Horseman of Sleepy, Silly Hollow on Saturday or Sunday — then join the fourth annual Halloween dance party and trick-or-treating event, better known as Monster Mash, Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tickets are $29 for both the performance and admission to the party.
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Dracula: The Failings of Men ends on Tuesday evening, also known as Halloween night, at the Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Produced by Havoc Movement and written for the stage by Havoc’s own Benedetto Robinson, this production, directed by Jake Guinn, earned a rave review from ArtsATL writer Rachel Garbus, who praised its “visceral, immersive storytelling,” sturdy cast and abundance of bloody fun. Tickets are $30, with discounts available.
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This is the final weekend to enjoy Home, I’m Darling at Synchronicity Theatre, written by British playwright Laura Wade. ArtsATL reviewer Alexis Hauk writes that the show “mines the dark comedy in this kind of scenario for all it’s worth [with] nice jabs at our ongoing glorification of nostalgia.” Hauk also praises the “snazzy sound design by Dan Bauman and pitch-perfect scenic design by Dustin Pettegrew,” a charming cast and Artistic Director Rachel May’s direction. Tickets start at $36.
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MUSIC
Rock legend Graham Nash returns to Atlanta Friday and Saturday for two shows at the Variety Playhouse. Nash was a founding member of The Hollies and Crosby Still and Nash (and sometimes Young). This tour is called “Graham Nash: Sixty Years of Songs and Stories” and features music that spans his entire career. Nash is a musical treasure, and, sadly, with the death of David Crosby, there won’t be another reunion of CSN. But a Nash solo concert will recreate some of those harmonic vibes. Tickets are $49.50.
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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Mindy Smith comes to Eddie’s Attic on October 26. USA Today once said “Smith’s best songs sound like little miracles,” and the list of singers who have recorded her tunes is impressive: Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack and Faith Hill. She also is a strong live performer who mixes humor into her set to balance the sad songs in her repertoire. Tickets are $32.26.
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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform the soundtrack live at two screenings of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas at Symphony Hall Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Released in 1993, the film has become a holiday classic. Directed by Henry Selick, it’s based on a story and characters by Burton that involves a plot to kidnap Santa Claus. Tickets start at $79.50.
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DANCE
Choreographer George Staib draws from his family’s experience of the Armenian genocide in his evening-length Ararat. This new work “is less a retelling of these dramatic events and more a celebration of the human spirit” and a release of the victim mentality, Staib says. ArtsATL dance, theater and music critics will lead a discussion after each performance. Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts Dance Studio. Thursday and Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday’s performance is sold out, but there is a wait list available. Tickets $25.
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The Othering, a new interactive dance-theater work by choreographer Nadya Zeitlin, combines the languages of computer programming and body movement. During the show, audience members can influence the story line (which is inspired by the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel) by using their phones to vote on a dedicated website. Zeitlin’s Bautanzt Here company will perform the work at the Windmill Arts Center. Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets $10 to $30.
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Authentic Flamenco opens at Theatrical Outfit this weekend. The show is a production from the Royal Opera of Madrid, an important performing arts institution in Spain. In 2019, it was awarded the best opera company in the world by the International Opera Awards. Created by created by the award-winning dancer and choreographer Amador Rojas, the dances in Authentic Flamenco will be performed by Yolanda Osuna and other Spanish artists. October 26-29 and November 2-5. Performance times vary by night. Tickets start at $49.
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ART+DESIGN
Four exhibits will open at Atlanta Contemporary this weekend, among them Glenn Climer’s Animated Quilts, Nathan and Bryan. The artist created 36 quilts, which then became the frames for an animated loop. “I was exploring how time could impact the legibility of the images on the quilt,” Climer writes. The other artists featured are Valaria Tatera, Rachel Eng and Rachel Hayden. All exhibits run through December 23.
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The Emory University’s Rose Library exhibit Sex Pistols, Atlanta, 1978: Photographs by Ron Sherman opens this weekend at Different Trains Gallery in Decatur. The show highlights the photos Atlanta photojournalist Sherman took at the Sex Pistols’ 1978 concert at the Great Southeast Music Hall. It was a seminal moment: His photographs document the arrival of punk in Atlanta and the South. Opening reception Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Through November 11.
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UTA Artist Space has a new exhibit, The Wayward Passage, opening Friday. It’s painter Antonio Scott Nichols’ first exhibition in his hometown of Atlanta (he’s currently based in Philadelphia) and re-imagines the Great Migration era in 1920s Atlanta through an Afrofuturistic lens of Black Americans escaping to Saturn. Through November 25. Opening reception, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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The traveling exhibition Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other opens at the High Museum of Art on Friday. It features the work of fiber artist Clark, bringing together her large-scale, community-centered and participatory projects for the first time, including The Beaded Prayers Project (1998-ongoing), The Hair Craft Project (2014) and the Monumental Cloth series (2019). Clark uses everyday fiber materials such as hair, flags and found fabric, and a range of textile techniques including weaving, braiding, quilting and beading, to examine issues of history, racial injustice, cultural legacies and reconciliation. Through February 18. Free for members. $18.50 for non-members.
