Theater in the Heart of Atlanta: The Opening of the Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families

Into the Burrow / Greg Mooney

Atlanta families have a new space to explore and enjoy the arts together.

The Woodruff Arts Center, home to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the High Museum of Art, opened the new Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families and PNC PlaySpace. These spaces will offer year-long arts-focused entertainment for Atlanta’s families.

“The busiest people in our community can rely on our space like they would a library, zoo or museum. We are upending our production calendar, so families can come any day of the week,” says Christopher Moses, the Jennings Hertz Artistic Director at Alliance Theatre. “To see it come to life now, it’s jaw-dropping. It’s impossible to see the front of the building and not understand that we built this place for young people.”

The Alliance Theatre is Atlanta’s national theater with the mission of expanding hearts and minds on stage and off through shows, acting classes, drama camps and family programming.

“We were developing a growing audience for work for all ages, particularly with student matinees. Our student matinees would sell out, so we would have to create a waitlist for schools. Then, it would be time to put another show for adults in that space, so we were running into our own way. We knew we had a need there,” Moses says.

The Woodruff Arts Center has participated in the Multi-Visit Program since 2016. Through this research study, fourth and fifth grade students attended field trips to all three of Woodruff’s sites. The study showed arts field trips benefitted students academically and socially, as they had higher test scores, higher grades, fewer absences, fewer behavior infractions, a higher desire to consume arts in the future, higher levels of tolerance and greater conscientiousness.

These results were even more significant once the Surgeon General reported on the state of mental health. With the pandemic, rates of psychological distress among young people increased.

“With our research, we knew we had to act to scale these benefits as far and wide as possible,” Moses says. “This feels like the culmination of a years-long commitment to making theater as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. Any kid born to our community would have access to theater. Intrinsically, we knew this art had life-changing benefits, and the empirical research proves what we already knew. I am thrilled at the thought that we are about to usher in a completely new chapter.”

Housed in the reimagined Rich Theatre, the Goizueta Stage for Youth & Families is a transformative space for Atlanta’s youngest patrons, featuring thoughtfully curated programming from the Alliance Theatre and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Carnival of the Animals, ASO / Rafterman

Classical music meets storytelling with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Music for the Very Young Concert Series. Join the parade in “Carnival of the Animals” on February 16, a 45-minute program that will have little ones hopping and roaring along. Find tickets at aso.org.

The new stage is the home for Alliance Theatre’s Underground Rep. “We could produce three shows that all took place underground. They are completely different in tone and style but share the real estate of underground,” Moses says. “It’s a fun idea to let young people know, ‘Look, we discovered this whole underground world.’ A family can come, and over the course of a weekend, you could see three different shows. It’s affordable, it’s accessible, and it’s happening all the time. We want to make it easy for busy folks.”

Through June 27, see “Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale,” which features beloved characters from Beatrix Potter’s tales but is set right here in Atlanta. Based on Mo Willems’ work, “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience” starts February 21 in an underground mole rat community following Wilbur, a clothes-loving rat with exceptional style. Dig into the underground world of ants in “The Great Ant Sleepover,” which opens May 16. Later in summer, the three shows will be running concurrently. Find tickets at alliancetheatre.org.

Theater combines art with important life lessons.

“Theater forces you to look at life from a different point of view, to look at someone else’s situation,” Moses says. “It’s easier to have those conversations with families if you’re seeing it enacted rather than coming at it from personal point of view.” In Beatrix Potter’s  book, it mentions Peter’s dad has been baked into a pie, but the story doesn’t focus on that. The production helps Peter – and by extension, the audience – process grief. Watching someone’s else experience can help families. “You can have those conversations, and you can talk about things that are really hard.”

PNC PlaySpace / Casey Ford

Open six days a week, the PNC PlaySpace is an experiential learning center where children can enjoy sensory play, interactive performances and imaginative pieces, all for free. The first theme for the space is “Bossa Nova Baby,” an Amazon rainforest-themed installation. Before visiting, guests will have to reserve a playtime.

“The PNC PlaySpace is designed for the youngest members of our community,” Moses says. “You can come here at any point, and you’re welcome. It sets the tone for the idea that access to art is a birthright. It starts children on a lifelong journey with the arts. These kids will grow up taking us for granted, because they grew up with arts in Atlanta. I’ve heard Atlanta is not a theater city, but this is a radical way to change that narrative – let’s make it one by having people grow up with it.”

These two spaces are incredible resources for kids and families.

“If kids grow up knowing that theater is a fun, exciting place to be, they will take ownership of the art form. We are changing people’s relationship to theater,” Moses says. “There’s so many reasons stories are critical, and families should experience them together. Stories are natural to all of us. Reading is not a natural phenomenon, but storytelling is. All of humanity leaned onto storytelling to make meaning in the world. If you hear stories about perseverance, you have the ability to persevere. If you hear stories about hope, you have the ability to be more hopeful. It is vitally important for families to have that shared artistic experience. Theater is a beautiful antidote to despair, and it helps us continue to dream.”